MNIPE  -AA1NIPE 


THE 
FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 


Already  she  had  opened  a  great  ledger 


THE 
FLOWER  OF   FORTUNE 


BY 
EMILIE  BENSON  KNIPE 

AND 

ALDEN  ARTHUR  KNIPE 

Author  of  "THE  LUCK  OF  DENEWOOD,"  "BEATRICE  OF 
DENEWOOD,"  "PEG  o'  THE  RING,"  etc.,  etc. 


ILLUSTRATED  BY 

EMILIE  BENSON  KNIPE 


NEW  YORK 

THE  CENTURY  CO. 

1922 


Copyright,  1922,  by 
THE  CENTUBY  Co. 


PRINTED    IN    TT.    S.    A. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PA6B 

I     IN  WHICH  WE  MEET  A  LADY  ....       3 

II     IN  WHICH  WE  HEAR  NEWS  OF  THE  GREAT 

MOGUL 13. 

III  IN  WHICH  THE  LADY  HATH  THE  BIRTH- 

DAY GIFT  SHE  COVETS 28 

IV  IN    WHICH    THERE    Is    MENTION    OF    A 

STRANGE  FLOWER 38 

V    IN  WHICH  JUDITH  Is  CALLED  A  MISER  .     54 

VI    IN  WHICH  A  BARGAIN  Is  STRUCK  AND  A 

TOKEN  GIVEN 73 

VII    IN  WHICH  MUCH  GOLD  CHANGETH  HANDS    88 

VIII     IN  WHICH  A  BATTLE  Is  FOUGHT  AND  A 

VICTORY  WON 104 

IX     IN  WHICH  A  NOBLE  DAME  SEEKS  SYM- 
PATHY AND  AID 119 

X     IN  WHICH  VISITORS  ARRIVE  FROM  PATRIA  128 

XI     IN  WHICH  A  CHESS  PROBLEM  REMAINETH 

UNSOLVED 147 

XII     IN  WHICH  A  LADY  GROWS  IMPATIENT      .   164 

XIII  IN  WHICH  JUDITH  ENGAGES  HERSELF  FOR 

THE  STRAWBERRY  FESTIVAL         .      .      .   184 

XIV  IN    WHICH    CAROLUS   ALSO   NAMES   His 

PARTNER 195 


2136585 


CONTENTS 

•CHAPTER  PAGE 

XV    IN  WHICH  ROBIN  MAKETH  A  SAD  CON- 
FESSION     209 

XVI    IN  WHICH  THE  DRAGON  TULIP  BUDS  .     .  226 

XVII    IN  WHICH  A  PLOT  UNFOLDS   ....  241 

XVIII    IN  WHICH  THE  DRAGON  TULIP  DISAPPEARS  255 

XIX    IN  WHICH  A  NIGHT  SEES  SEVERAL  VIS- 
ITORS        265 

XX  IN  WHICH  METJE  MAKES  A  CAPTIVE  .  .  282 

XXI  IN  WHICH  A  GENTLEMAN  Is  DOUBTED  .  295 

XXII  IN  WHICH  JAN  BLOEMERS  DROPS  IN  .  .  309 

XXIII  IN  WHICH  A  MARRIAGE  Is  ARRANGED  .  .319 

XXIV  IN  WHICH  SALVADOR  DACOSTA  HAS  THE 

LAST  WORD 337 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Already  she  had  opened  a  great  ledger  .     .  Frontispiece 

TACINd    PAQK 

"I  myself  saw  the  girl  lay  her  fan  about  that  lad's 

ears" 20 

"She  wore  a  vizard  of  black  satin"  .     .     .     r.,     .   182 
"That  way,  too,  it  might  be  arranged"  ..,    ..,    W1     .  332 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 


CHAPTER  I 

IN  WHICH  WE  MEET  A  LADY 

IT  was  a  cheerful,  sunny  day,  and  her  house  was 
in  perfect  order;  yet  Judith  looked  anxious 
as  she  passed  quickly  from  the  store  (closed  to 
customers  since  her  father's  untimely  death), 
through  the  office,  the  fore-room,  and  the  kitchen 
down  into  the  cellar,  then  up  quickly  to  the 
chambers  on  the  second  floor  and  above  them  to 
the  garret  and  cockloft.  No  speck  of  dust  was 
to  be  found,  no  piece  of  metal  but  shone  as  metal 
should. 

Coming  back  to  the  fore-room  she  went  to  the 
door  of  the  great  chamber ;  but  here,  out  of  respect 
to  the  sheen  of  the  floor  which  Metje  had  polished 
with  loving  care,  she  paused  at  the  threshold. 
She  knew  well  that  all  was  as  it  should  be,  yet  so 
much  hung  on  the  impression  she  would  make 

3 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

upon  her  expected  visitors  that  she  could  not  con- 
trol her  anxiety. 

The  house  presented  a  checkered  brick  gable- 
end  to  the  street  after  the  Dutch  fashion,  an  iron 
anker  with  date  of  erection  ornamenting  it.  The 
length  of  the  building  lay  along  the  flower-gar- 
dens ;  thus  when  it  stormed  the  drippings  or  drifts 
from  the  high  roof  were  cast  off  harmlessly  in- 
stead of  descending  on  the  passers-by,  as  was  the 
case  with  the  English  designed  houses. 

The  day  was  so  unseasonably  warm  as  to  re- 
semble spring  rather  than  winter.  Almost  it 
seemed  the  Judas-tree  must  have  budded,  and 
Metje  had  thrown  open  some  of  the  windows  to 
let  in  the  fresh  breeze.  Through  these  now  came 
a  clamor  of  voices  that  quickly  drew  Judith  to  the 
front  door. 

There  was  indeed  a  rabble  in  the  roadway,  a 
rabble  of  children,  circling  about  something  in 
their  midst  with  shrill  shouts. 

Judith  ran  quickly  to  her  gate,  expecting  that 
they  were  baiting  some  animal  from  the  woods, 
as  happened  all  too  frequently.  Instead,  to  her 
surprise,  she  found  that  a  child  of  the  better  class 
was  their  victim ;  and  their  effort  was  to  keep  her 

4 


IN  WHICH  WE  MEET  A  LADY 

from  seeking  safety  within  the  gate,  which  Jud- 
ith, running  down  the  path,  threw  open  just  as  the 
controversy  had  reached  this  height.  She  was 
entirely  ignorant  of  the  merits  of  the  dispute,  but 
she  recognized  gentle  Nan  Homan  set  on  by  many, 
foremost  among  whom  was  a  lad  who  had  earned 
the  name  of  bully  throughout  the  town,  and  in- 
stinctively she  threw  herself  upon  the  weaker 
side. 

"Shame  on  you,  big  Jan  Bloemers !"  she  cried, 
"to  so  misuse  a  little  maid.  Get  you  gone  to  your 
home!" 

"And  who  are  you  to  give  me  orders?"  Bloe- 
mers blustered.  "You  think  yourself  very  grand 
because  your  father  left  you  your  own  mistress, 
which  my  father  says  was  most  like  a  clever  trick 
to  befool  his  credi — " 

Smack !  Judith  brought  her  fan  about  his  ears 
with  such  vigor  that  the  sandle-wood  sticks  were 
shattered. 

"Now  what  means  this  brawling  in  the  public 
highway?"  cried  the  shrill  voice  of  an  elderly 
gentleman,  as  he  rounded  the  corner  accompanied 
by  several  companions  of  less  years  but  equal 
dignity.  "Tut!  Tut!  This  will  never  do." 

5 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"Run !  JT  is  Mijnhere  van  Bursum,"  was 
whispered  from  one  to  another  of  the  young  row- 
dies; and,  with  a  clatter  of  wooden  shoes  on  the 
cobbles,  they  all  made  off  save  Jan  Bloemers,  on 
whose  shoulder  one  of  the  gentlemen  had  laid  an 
unwelcome  hand. 

"Nay,"  he  said  sternly,  "we  saw  you  punished. 
We  wish  now  to  know  if  the  blows  you  received 
were  merited." 

Indeed  it  was  Judith  who  stood  before  these 
gentlemen  a  picture  of  guilt.  It  was  of  such  vast 
importance  that  she  should  impress  them  with  her 
age,  her  dignity,  and  above  all  her  power  of  self- 
government  that  her  heart  seemed  like  to  drop 
out  of  her  breast  at  the  thought  that  they  had  come 
upon  her  in  what  must  have  looked  to  them  naught 
better  than  a  rough-and-tumble  quarrel.  For  the 
moment  she  was  at  loss  for  words  to  defend 
herself  against  their  suspicions. 

Help  came  to  her  from  an  unexpected  source 
for,  like  most  bullies,  Jan  Bloemers  was  a  coward. 

"Let  go  my  paltrok,"  he  whined.  "Do  ye  think 
my  father  is  made  of  money  that  ye  tear  my 
clothes  from  off  my  back  ?  I've  done  no  hurt  and 
I  know  not  why  the  meisje  took  such  a  clip  at  me." 

6 


IN  WHICH  WE  MEET  A  LADY 

"The  lad  is  lying,"  declared  one  of  the  gentle- 
men, and  Judith  took  heart. 

"He  and  his  companions  had  set  upon  this 
little  maid,"  she  faltered.  "Even  within  the 
house  I  heard  them  shouting  at  her.  I  had  no 
thought  it  was  a  child  they  were  baiting.  I  ran 
out,  hoping  to  beg  or  buy  from  them  some  miser- 
able wildling,  a  fox  cub,  perchance,  or  a  squirrel, 
and  I  found  the  little  girl  sore  beset." 

"Then  it  was  in  her  defense  that  you  beat  the 
lad?" 

"Nay,"  Judith  reddened  as  she  made  the  admis- 
sion, "he  turned  on  me  to  slander  another.  'T  was 
then  I  lost  my  patience  and  broke  my  fan  about 
his  ears.  I  confess  my  fault." 

The  gentlemen  exchanged  glances,  and,  making 
an  effort  to  regain  her  self-possession,  Judith 
begged  them  to  enter. 

"And  you  too,  Nan,"  she  added;  whispering 
quickly,  "run  to  Metje  at  the  back.  She  will  give 
you  your  piece  and  later  I  will  walk  home  with 
you." 

Greatly  relieved  by  this  promise,  the  little  maid 
skipped  off  and  the  gentleman  followed  Judith  up 
the  bricked  path. 

7 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"I  bid  you  welcome  at  my  threshold,  mijne 
heren,"  Judith  said  gravely,  and  her  visitors 
followed  her  into  the  voorhuis,  which  in  this,  as 
in  the  majority  of  Dutch  houses,  was  hall,  living- 
room  and  dining-room  combined. 

Most  of  them  knew  of  old  the  leather  chairs 
studded  with  brass  nails,  the  fine  painted  kas,  the 
Turkey  carpet  on  the  table,  the  good  Dutch 
pictures,  and  the  racks  for  silver  and  pewter  on 
the  walls.  These  missed  the  master's  bed  with  its 
handsome  red  say  hangings,  which  had  long  been 
furnishings  of  the  fore-room  as  was  customary  in 
New  Amsterdam.  Judith  had  had  this  removed, 
and  in  its  place  she  had  set  a  chest  of  drawers  of 
South  walnut,  with  a  press  for  napkins  atop. 

"But  where  is  the  lad?"  The  Here  van  Bur- 
sum  turned  ponderously  to  Mr.  Pierce,  his  captor, 
who  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"He  escaped  me,"  he  answered.  "Like  an  eel 
he  twisted  out  of  my  grasp  as  we  passed  through 
the  gate.  He  is  no  new  offender,  I'll  warrant. 
He  took  good  care  that  I  should  not  be  left  with 
cap  or  coat  for  his  parents  to  redeem." 

"This  is  not  the  Sabbath,"  Hendrick  Breesteede 

8 


IN  WHICH  WE  MEET  A  LADY 

sniffed,  ever  ready  to  take  the  opposite  side  to  an 
Englishman. 

"None  the  less,"  Mr.  Pierce  told  him  stiffly, 
"had  the  boy  not  snatched  his  cap  from  my  hand, 
I  should  have  made  it  my  business  to  take  it  to  his 
parents.  The  law  might  not  exact  two  shillings' 
fine  as  it  would  had  he  been  brawling  in  church 
time,  but  I  make  sure  that  his  father  would  have 
dealt  with  him." 

"Now,  now !"  Here  van  Bur  sum  spoke  softly, 
it  being  ever  his  way  to  pour  oil  on  troubled 
waters,  "he  's  gone,  and  perchance  't  is  better  so. 
There  is  no  need  to  stir  up  ill  feeling.  Com- 
plaints of  a  man's  son  hurt  his  pride  the  more  an 
they  are  warranted.  The  little  maid  is  not  in- 
jured, and  'tis  likely  the  lad  offended  uncon- 
sciously in  some  rough  jest.  All 's  well  that  ends 
well.  We  Ve  all  been  boys  ourselves,  so  let 's  to 
business." 

"Mijne  heren"  Judith  interposed  in  tones  that 
she  tried  to  keep  from  trembling,  "I  regret  that 
your  reception  hath  been  so  lacking  in  the  cere- 
mony that  is  your  due.  You  are  left  standing 
in  the  voorhuis  when  the  great  chamber  is  ready 

9 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

to  welcome  you.  Will  you  not  enter  and  be 
seated?" 

"Nay,  child,"  old  Here  van  Bursum  spoke 
kindly,  "I  stood  upon  the  threshold,  but  as  none 
of  us  had  soft-walkers  I  thought  that  we  would 
not  spoil  your  handiwork.  We  are  very  well 
where  we  are." 

"Then  I  pray  you  draw  up  to  the  table  here. 
It  is,  I  know,  in  your  minds  and  in  your  power  to 
determine  whether  my  father's  will  is  to  be  re- 
spected in  its  entirety  or  whether  I  am  to  have  set 
over  me  certain  governors." 

Judith  seated  herself  naturally  at  the  head  of 
the  table,  and  her  visitors  ranged  themselves  on 
either  hand  with  the  careful  observance  of  pre- 
cedence upon  which  they  prided  themselves. 
Young  Thomas  Lane  alone  still  stood,  hat  in 
hand. 

"I  am  but  a  messenger.  The  governor  sent 
for  my  father  post-haste,"  the  lad  explained  as 
he  felt  all  eyes  upon  him.  "He  bade  me  give  you 
greeting  and  his  regrets  that  his  Excellency  com- 
manded his  presence  just  as  he  picked  up  his  staff 
to  set  out.  However,  I  am  to  say  that  his  de- 
cision in  this  matter  is  not  susceptible  of  change. 

10 


IN  WHICH  WE  MEET  A  LADY 

He  holds  that  till  a  child  is  of  age,  its  father  is 
entitled  to  order  its  life.  Now,  having  fulfilled 
my  errand,  I  ask  your  leave  to  go." 

"As  Master  Lane  cannot  be  here  himself  it  is 
proper  that  he  should  have  a  representative,"  fat 
Hendrick  Breesteede  said  pompously.  "Take 
that  chair,  boy."  He  pointed  to  the  foot  of  the 
table. 

Nothing  loth,  Tom  Lane  accepted  the  situa- 
tion. His  eighteen  years  cried  out  against  that 
insulting  word  "boy";  but  he  irreverently  won- 
dered what  these  "old  fantods"  were  going  to  do 
with  this  nice  girl,  and  it  would  make  a  wonder- 
ful tale  to  tell  his  cronies  that  he  had  sat  in  such 
a  distinguished  assemblage;  and  accordingly  he 
took  the  chair  indicated  and  looked  up  the  long 
table  at  Judith. 

On  her  right  sat  the  Here  van  Bursum,  small 
and  neat,  a  moneyed  man,  of  great  weight  in  the 
city,  though  little  would  one  have  thought  it  from 
his  meek  manner,  forever  trying  to  reconcile  this 
with  that. 

On  her  left  was  Peter  Morton,  a  dyspeptic 
Englishman,  who,  liking  neither  the  country  nor 
its  ways  was  tied  to  it  by  his  possessions.  The 

ii 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

corners  of  his  mouth  were  dragged  at  by  his  dis- 
content till  a  child  could  read  his  disposition  there. 

Hendrick  Breesteede,  Dutch  as  his  name,  sat 
next  him.  Large-jowled,  full-paunched,  he  looked 
like  a  pudding  taken  from  the  mold  before  it 
was  quite  set.  The  top  of  his  head  was  smaller 
than  his  neck,  his  shoulders  than  his  hips; 
but  his  face  despite  his  flabby  flesh,  was 
not  weak,  only  entirely  selfish. 

Edward  Pierce,  the  other  Englishman,  was 
opposite  him.  He  was  quick  in  action  as  in 
thought.  Sharp  of  feature  but  not  ill-natured. 
A  man  with  his  way  to  make,  but  of  whom  it 
was  already  said  success  was  sure. 

What  side  would  each  of  these  men  take  and 
how  would  it  afTect  this  maid,  who  possessed  a 
strange,  vivid  personality  that  set  her  apart 
from  any  Dutch  girl  Tom  had  seen  before  ? 

He  settled  in  his  place  of  no  importance,  well 
content  to  be  there  and  watch  the  drama  unfold. 


12 


CHAPTER    II 

IN  WHICH  WE  HEAR  NEWS  OF  THE  GREAT  MOGUL 

THE   question   is,   then,   whether   it   is   the 
policy  of  the  province  to  permit  that  its 
rightful  authority  over  an  orphan  be  removed  out 
of  its  hands."     Mr.  Pierce  set  out  the  case  for 
consideration. 

Before  any  one  else  could  speak  his  mind  on 
the  matter,  Judith  was  on  her  feet.  She  had 
gone  over  and  over  in  her  thoughts  what  she 
must  say,  memorizing  each  sentence  so  that 
nothing  should  be  forgotten. 

"Excellencies,"  she  curtsied  profoundly  to 
the  company  ere  she  began,  in  tones  that  trembled 
ever  so  slightly,  "I  have  no  one  to  speak  for  me, 
therefore  must  I  take  upon  myself  the  unmaid- 
enly  task  of  defending  my  own  rights.  The 
question  is  not  precisely  as  the  honorable  gentle- 
man hath  set  it  forth.  I  do  not  deny  the  just 
authority  of  the  state.  I  shall  endeavor  to  do 

13 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

my  duty  as  a  citizen  in  all  ways  that  a  maiden 
may. 

"The  whole  question,  as  I  see  it,  is  shall  a 
dutiful  child  be  allowed  to  carry  out  her  honored 
father's  last  commands?  Belike  I  might  ask 
you,  Here  van  Bursum,  to  read  the  clause  in  my 
father's  will  that  sets  these  commands  upon  me." 

"I  think  that,  by  rights,  I  should  read  the  whole 
will,"  Hendrick  Breesteede  suggested  impor- 
tantly. "I've  had  a  copy  of  it  made  for  that 
purpose." 

"I  was  about  to  suggest  it,"  Here  van  Bursum 
said  suavely.  "My  voice  grows  hoarse  too 
quickly  for  public  speaking." 

Here  Breesteede  took  a  pair  of  horn-rimmed 
spectacles  from  his  pocket,  rubbed  them  with  his 
figured  calico  handkerchief,  and  settled  them  on 
his  snub  nose;  then  he  cleared  his  throat  and 
began : 

"  'In  the  name  of  God,  Amen.' ' 

"Amen,"  all  those  around  the  table  repeated 
devoutly,  and  Breesteede  looked  at  them  over  the 
tops  of  his  glasses  as  if  challenging  them  to  inter- 
rupt again.  Then,  once  more  settling  the  spec- 
tacles firmly,  he  went  on: 

14 


NEWS  OF  THE  GREAT  MOGUL 

"'I,  Nicolaes  Van  Taarl,  of  New  Ycfrke, 
widower,  being  sorely  stricken  in  health  but 
sound  and  perfect  in  mind,  do  ordain  that  the 
funeralls  of  my  body  shall  be  only  such  as  shall 
become  a  Christian. 

'To  my  daughter  and  only  child,  Judith  Van 
Taarl,  I  leave  all  my  estate  of  whatsoever  kind, 
entrusting  to  her  the  payment  of  funnerall 
charges,  debts  and  necessary  disbursements,  and 
expressly  commanding  that  the  Lords  Orphan 
Masters  be  excluded  from  all  management  of  my 
properties  and  be  not  allowed  to  meddle  in  any 
way  with  the  government  of  my  aforesaid  child 
and  universal  heir,  Judith  Van  Taarl. 

"  'I  make  Judith  Van  Taarl  sole  executor  of 
this,  my  last  will. 

"Dated,  September  2nd,  1698. 

"  'Witnesses : 

[Signed]     "  'NICOLAES  VAN  TAARL'" 

"  'Rip  VAN  WYCK 

"  'CORNELIS  ROBERTS 

"  TEUNIS  TAMS'  " 

"  'T  is  a  most  uncompromising  document," 
said  Peter  Morton  fretfully. 

"Truly  it  offers  small  basis  for  an  acoommo- 

15 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

dation,"  sighed  Here  van  Bursum,  ever  hopeful 
of  effecting  a  settlement. 

"It  might  be  proper  enough  were  the  young 
miss  a  lad,  who  had  already  shared  his  father's 
business  cares,"  Edward  Pierce  suggested,  "but 
such  responsibility  is  too  great  for  a  girl  of — 
How  old  are  you?"  he  asked  Judith  abruptly. 

"I  'm  in  my  sixteenth  year,  sir,"  she  answered 
promptly. 

"Your  birthday  was  when?"  he  asked,  not  to 
be  put  off. 

"It  is  to-day,  sir,"  she  answered  with  the  best 
grace  she  could,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  table  Tom 
Lane  hid  a  smile. 

"She 's  but  a  child.  I  feel  that  she  should  not 
be  trusted  with  the  management  of  such  great 
possessions,"  Morton  fumed,  looking  around  him 
at  the  evidences  of  riches  on  every  side. 

J 

"I  have  had  the  charge  of  this  house  and  all 
within  it  for  eight  years,  ever  since  my  aunt  mar- 
ried and  returned  to  the  Fatherland.  Think  you 
aught  hath  suffered  under  that  management?" 
Judith  was  serenely  conscious  that  Metje's  house- 
wifery left  little  to  be  desired,  and  on  another 
occasion  would  have  been  the  first  to  proclaim  to 

16 


NEWS  OF  THE  GREAT  MOGUL 

whom  most  of  the  credit  for  the  perfect  order 
was  due. 

"Why  not  request  your  aunt  to  come  back  and 
live  with  you?"  Here  van  Bursum  put  the  tips  of 
his  fingers  together  and  leaned  toward  her  ex- 
pectantly, confident  that  he  had  hit  upon  a  most 
happy  expedient.  "Then  under  your  uncle's 
supervision  we  could  put  the  management  of 
your  affairs." 

"She  is  not  my  aunt  by  blood  but  my  father's 
stepsister.  Had  he  wished  her  and  her  husband 
to  have  charge  over  me,  he  would  have  written 
that  in  his  will,"  Judith  returned  firmly.  "He 
liked  not  my  aunt's  husband,  nor  do  I.  I  would 
prefer  the  Lords  Orphan  Masters  to  their  guid- 
ance." 

"Then  why  not  agree  to  be  placed  in  their 
charge?"  Peter  Morton  suggested.  "You  are 
causing  much  anxiety  by  refusing  to  comply  with 
what  is  assuredly  -a  wise  provision  to  protect 
children  too  young  to  undertake  the  ordering  of 
their  own  estates." 

"But  I  am  not  too  young!"  Judith  exclaimed. 
"Have  I  not  said  that  I  have  turned  fifteen? 
Many  girls  of  that  age  are  wedded,  and  then  they 

17 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

are  not  told  they  are  too  young  to  manage  their 
establishments." 

"Nor  are  they,  under  the  wise  guidance  of 
their  husbands,"  chuckled  Hendrick  Breesteede. 

"Are  you  perchance  betrothed?"  Here  van 
Bursum  purred.  "That  would  indeed  solve 
many  problems." 

"But  I  am  not  betrothed,"  Judith  flushed  hotly, 
"nor  like  to  be.  I  am  too  young  for  marriage — " 

For  the  moment  she  had  lost  track  of  her  argu- 
ment and  had  returned  in  her  mind  to  an  inter- 
view with  her  father  when  she  had,  for  the  only 
time  in  her  life,  refused  to  do  his  will. 

"Too  young  for  marriage  but  not  too  young  to 
claim  the  privileges  of  mevrouwen."  Breesteede 
continued  to  chuckle,  and  again  Judith  flushed 
hotly.  She  did  not  like  to  be  made  a  mock  of  be- 
fore this  company,  and  an  answer  came  quickly 
to  her  lips. 

"Women  have  been  known  to  hold  their  own 
with  men.  We  have  had  female  traders  among 
the  Indians.  There  was  Margaret  Hardenbroeck 
who  died  leaving  her  husband,  Frederick  Flipse,  a 
rich  man.  She  sailed  in  her  own  ships  and  bought 

18 


NEWS  OF  THE  GREAT  MOGUL 

and  traded  in  her  own  name,  and  no  man  could 
get  the  better  of  her." 

Now  this  was  an  unwise  retort,  because  Vrouw 
Flipse  had,  on  one  notorious  occasion,  so  over- 
reached Here  Breesteede  as  to  make  the  trans- 
action a  jest  even  after  the  lapse  of  years;  and 
to  turn  the  laugh  against  a  man  is  no  way  to  gain 
his  friendship. 

Judith  knew  that  Mr.  Lane's  vote  was  in  her 
favor;  she  was  soon  to  learn  that  she  had  lost 
Hendrick  Breesteede's. 

"Do  you  then  plan  to  carry  on  your  father's 
business?"  Master  Pierce  asked. 

"She  carry  on  a  great  business!"  Breesteede 
puffed  scornfully,  before  the  girl  had  a  chance 
to  open  her  lips.  "Do  not  encourage  her  in  such 
lofty  imaginings.  Her  childish  prattle  should  tell 
you  that  her  ambitions  are  so  fired  by  this  fond 
will  of  her  father's  that  she  holdeth  herself  equal 
to  ruling  the  whole  province.  The  Lords  Orphan 
Masters  must  have  charge  over  her." 

"Here  Breesteede!"  Judith  was  about  to  burst 
out  with  another  hot  answer,  but  she  took  thought 
in  time.  She  had  counted  upon  opposition,  and 

19 


to  win  against  it  she  must  not  let  it  anger  her. 

"You  spoke?"  hinted  Breesteede. 

"It  was  my  wish  to  assure  you  that  I  had  no 
such  plan  as  you  suggested,"  she  said  meekly. 
"With  your  approval,  Excellencies,  I  would  like 
to  sell  the  contents  of  the  shop  at  public  vendue." 

"Or  you  might  sell  the  whole  house  and  shop  to 
a  trader.  The  good-will  of  the  Sign  of  the 
Barrow  and  Bale  is  worth  something,"  Master 
Pierce  reminded  her,  practically. 

"I  have  no  authority  to  sell  the  house,"  Judith 
answered,  surprised.  "I  thought  that  was  well 
known.  It  was  strictly  entailed  by  my  mother's 
father  on  her  children  and  their  posterity." 

"Complication  on  complication,"  Peter  Morton 
fussed.  "I  saw  us  well  rid  of  all  troubles,  with 
your  goods  turned  into  money  and  you  put  to 
board  with  the  family  of  some  godly  man,  the 
minister  of  your  own  faith  for  choice." 

"You  will  be  easily  rid  of  me,  Master  Morton," 
Judith  said  pleadingly.  "You  need  but  agree  to 
allow  me  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  my  own 
welfare,  as  my  father  wished." 

"Yes,  yes,  my  child,"  Here  van  Bursum  told 
her  soothingly,  "yet  if,  perchance,  thereafter  you 

20 


'I  myself  saw  the  girl  lay  her  fan  about  that  lad's  ears" 


NEWS  OF  THE  GREAT  MOGUL 

should  fall  into  the  hands  of  designing  men  who 
robbed  you  of  your  wealth,  which  one  of  us  could 
feel  free  of  blame  ?" 

"If  I  agree  to  place  my  moneys  in  your  care  :and 
to  go  into  no  business  venture  without  your  con- 
sent, will  you  allow  the  will  to  stand?" 

"I  can  see  no  objection  to  that,"  Here  van 
Bursum  began,  after  some  consideration. 

"I  do!"  Breesteede  interposed  stubbornly. 
"Such  a  maid,  impetuous,  hot-tempered,  and  self- 
willed,  should  be  under  the  wise  restraint  of  the 
Lords  Orphan  Masters,  as  I  said  before." 

"Dear,  dear!"  Peter  Morton  mourned,  "I 
greatly  fear  that  you  are  right.  I  myself  saw 
the  girl  lay  her  fan  about  that  lad's  ears." 

"For  good  reason,"  Edward  Pierce  interrupted. 
"It  is  not  for  that  I  am  against  removing  her  from 
all  authority.  She  is  too  young  to  live  alone,  with 
none  but  an  underling  for  a  companion.  What 
would  she  do  in  her  courting  days  ?" 

"Indeed,  indeed,  Master  Pierce,"  Judith  twisted 
her  hands  together  in  her  eagerness,  "I  '11  have  no 
lovers.  I  '11  promise  you  there  shall  be  no  court- 
ing. My  mind  is  full  of  other  matters  of  true 
importance." 

21 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"It  is  easy  to  forswear  lovers  who  do  not 
exist" — Master  Pierce  with  difficulty  concealed  a 
kindly  smile, — "but  at  seventeen,  say,  when  they 
come  thronging,  what  would  there  be  to  keep  you 
to  your  word  if  our  authority  were  removed?" 

"My  honor,"  said  Judith  simply. 

"Nay,  nay !"  Here  van  Bursum  interposed,  "it 
is  no  part  of  the  policy  of  the  colony  to  lay  such 
irksome  restraints  upon  its  orphans." 

"Of  late  years,"  Breesteede  spoke  pompously, 
"since  New  Amsterdam  is  no  more,  New  Yorke 
has  become  the  haunt  of  adventurers  from  all 
lands—" 

"The  English  did  not  invent  the  Madagascar 
trade,"  Pierce  rejoined  tartly,  -the  animosity  be- 
tween the  two  races  ever  ready  to  leap  to  the 
surface.  "The  Strand  swarmed  with  pirates 
when  we  came  here." 

"Gentlemen!  Gentlemen!"  Here  van  Bursum 
implored,  "we  're  here  to  discuss  the  government 
of  Judith  Van  Taarl,  not  of  the  province." 

"None  the  less,"  Peter  Morton  said  specifically, 
"Here  Breesteede  is  right  to  point  out  the  perils  to 
one  of  so  impetuous  a  temperament.  This  young 

22 


NEWS  OF  THE  GREAT  MOGUL 

woman  needeth  a  firm  hand  to  guide  her  past  more 
dangers  than  one." 

"  'T  is  exactly  what  I  said."  Here  Breesteede 
puffed  out  his  fat  cheeks  approvingly.  "Failing 
that,  the  Lords  Orphan  Masters  must  act.  There 
is  no  precedent  for  such  an  extraordinary  will." 

Several  heads  were  nodding  in  agreement  to 
this  last  statement  when  Tom  Lane  at  the  foot 
of  the  table  spoke  for  the  first  time  since  he  had 
taken  his  place  there. 

"I  crave  your  indulgence,  gentlemen,"  he  said 
respectfully,  "but  as  I  am  here  in  my  father's 
place,  I  take  it  I  may  speak  if  I  but  quote  his 
words." 

"Of  a  surety,"  Here  van  Bursum  replied. 
"There  can  be  no  harm  in  that."  He  glanced 
from  one  to  the  other  of  his  colleagues,  who  sig- 
nified assent,  grudging  or  willing  as  their  natures 
dictated. 

"Then,"  said  young  Lane,  "that  is  just  what 
there  is — a  precedent." 

"A  precedent  for  this  unprecedented  will?" 
Hendrick  Breesteede  stuttered.  "What  mean 
you?" 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"Exactly  that,"  Tom  told  them  gravely. 
date  is  1678.  I  found  the  record  of  it  for  my 
father.  It  is  the  joint  will  of  Stoeffel  and  Heeltie 
Abeel  and  is  very  similar  in  wording  to  Here  Van 
Taarl's  will.  Here  is  a  copy  of  it  I  made.  It  con- 
firmed my  father  in  his  decision  that  the  terms 
of  this  will  must  be  complied  with." 

"And  were  the  Abeel  children  left  free  of  the 
restraints  of  the  Lords  Orphan  Masters  ?"  asked 
Here  van  Bursum,  after  each  man  in  turn  had 
pcfred  over  the  paper. 

"So  my  father  was  assured,"  young  Lane 
answered. 

"Then,"  said  Peter  Morton,  complainingly, 
"we  have  been  put  to  needless  trouble,  and  I  can 
see  no  reason  for  the  appointment  of  this  com- 
mittee." 

"Nor  I,"  sputtered  Breesteede,  bringing  a  fat, 
moist  fist  down  on  the  table.  "A  precedent  is  *a 
precedent.  The  matter  is  settled." 

"A  precedent  need  not  be  followed  if  it  is  better 
for  this  orphan  that  it  be  ignored,"  Mr.  Pierce 
pointed  out  gravely,  but  this  brought  a  storm  of 
protest  from  his  colleagues ;  even  gentle  Here  van 

24 


NEWS  OF  THE  GREAT  'MOGUL 

Bur  sum  now  considered  the  matter  settled  out  of 
their  hands,  and  they  all  rose  to  go. 

Judith  it  was  who  stayed  them. 

"I  pray  you,  Excellencies,  that  you  will  not 
leave  my  roof  without  partaking  of  my  hospi- 
tality," she  said.  "I  will  bring  the  trays,  which 
are  already  prepared,  if  you  will  excuse  my 
absence  for  a  moment." 

'Tray  allow  me  to  carry  a  tray  for  you,"  Tom 
Lane  suggested  gravely,  and  as  gravely  Judith 
accepted  his  offer.  It  was  not  till  the  kitchen  door 
closed  behind  them  that  she  turned  to  him  with 
anxious  eyes,  while  Metje  hastened  to  brew  both 
tea  and  saffron. 

"It  was  kind  of  you  to  want  to  help  me;  but 
what  will  happen  when  they  find  out  there  is  no 
such  will?"  she  asked. 

"They  won't  find  that  out,"  Tom  answered, 
taking  up  a  heavily  laden  tray,  "because  there  is." 

"I  saw  you  writing  it  at  the  table,"  Judith  chal- 
lenged him,  as  she  too  seized  on  a  tray. 

"Well,  so  I  did — from  memory.  It  would  have 
taken  too  much  explaining  to  make  them  under- 
stand that  my  father  pocketed  the  copy  I  made  for 

25 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

him."  Tom  led  the  way  back  to  the  voorhuis 
and  placed  his  tray  safely  on  the  table,  Judith 
following  at  his  heels,  relieved  in  her  mind  that 
there  really  was  a  precedent  to  strengthen  her  con- 
tention, yet  a  little  disappointed  withal,  she  knew 
not  why. 

The  young  housewife  had  contrived  to  lay  a 
very  acceptable  refreshment  before  her  guests. 

In  addition  to  the  saffron  which  had  been 
brewed  to  accompany  the  China  tea,  Hollands  gin 
and  West  India  rum  were  brought  out  of  the  kas 
and  placed  on  the  table  with  metheglin,  oblies, 
sugar  biscuits,  roasted  almonds,  and  strange, 
netted  jars  of  candied  ginger. 

The  gentlemen  set  to  with  gusto,  and  even 
Breesteede,  the  most  opposed  among  them  to  giv- 
ing her  her  liberty,  felt  more  kindly  disposed  to- 
ward his  hostess  after  his  sixth  cup  of  tea  and 
saffron. 

'T  is  fine  tea  you  have  brewed,"  he  said, 
smacking  his  lips  ere  he  wiped  them  on  the  linen 
napkin  provided  for  him.  "I  '11  wager  it  came  in 
your  father's  own  ship,  the  Great  Mogul." 

"It  did,"  Judith  told  him.  "It  is  packed  in 
chests  of  waxed  wood,  each  lined  with  silvered 

26 


NEWS  OF  THE  GREAT  MOGUL 

paper  and  sealed  within  an  outer  case  of  lead. 
When  this  is  gone  no  more  such  tea  will  I  be  able 
to  offer  your  Excellencies." 

"Surely  you  can  send  for  more  on  the  next  voy- 
age of  the  Great  Mogul?"  Here  van  Bursum  sug- 
gested. "It  would  be  too  bad  that  your  friends 
should  be  deprived  of  such  a  satisfaction." 

"Did  you  not  know,"  Judith  tried  to  make  her 
voice  sound  indifferent,  "that  the  Great  Mogul 
was  lost  nine  months  gone  or  more?" 

There  was  a  moment's  stillness  in  the  room,  for 
the  news  she  gave,  them,  was  of  a  great  disaster. 

"How  mean  you  lost?"  Peter  Morton  inquired 
petulantly.  "Did  the  Mogul  founder  in  a  storm, 
or  was  she  cast  away?  Was  there  no  salvage?" 

"No,"  said  Judith,  "there  was  no  salvage.  She 
was  taken  by  buccaneers." 


CHAPTER  III 

IN   WHICH   THE  LADY   HATH   THE  BIRTHDAY 
GIFT  SHE  COVETS 

A  HEAVY  silence  greeted  this  announcement. 
Of  all  those  present  young  Tom  Lane  was 
the  most  thrilled  by  it,  for  seizure  of  ships  by  buc- 
caneers was  not  so  usual  a  happening  in  1699  as 
it  had  been  a  few  years  earlier,  or  as  it  was  to  be 
again ;  while  the  older  men  had  lived  in  the  palmy 
days  of  the  Madagascar  trade  when  all  New  York 
had  fattened  and  grown  rich  on  the  exchange  of 
goods  with  freebooters. 

The  commissioning-  of  privateers  by  the  English 
Government  to  prey  upon  and  destroy  enemy  ship- 
ing  had  drawn  scores  of  heavily  armed,  swift-sail- 
ing combatants  from  colonial  ports.  Once  at  sea 
the  majority  of  these  plundered  indiscriminately, 
without  regard  to  what  flag  their  victim  flew,  and 
sold  their  booty  openly  in  the  markets  of  New 
Yorke. 

Under  Governor  Fletcher  this  was  quite  safe. 
28 


LADY  HATH  GIFT  SHE  COVETS 

Many  of  the  most  notorious  pirates  boasted  the 
possession  of  his  commission  and  swaggered 
openly  on  the  city's  streets,  armed  with  jeweled 
swords  and  daggers  and  pearl-handled  pistols. 
But  it  was  not  in  direct  ownership  of  privateers, 
real  or  pretended,  that  the  New  Yorke  merchants 
were  most  deeply  involved.  They  had  devised  a 
safer  plan.  This  was  to  load  a  ship  for  Mada- 
gascar with  Jamaica  rum,  gunpowder,  and  Ma- 
deira wines,  which  the  pirates  stood  ready  to  buy 
at  triple  their  cost.  From  the  sea-rovers  they 
took  East  India  goods  of  all  sorts,  camphor  from 
Borneo,  coffee  from  Java,  precious  stones  and 
cinnamon  from  Ceylon,  shawls  from  Bengal, 
ebony  and  sandalwood,  silks  and  embroideries 
from  China,  diamonds  from  the  mines  of  Gol- 
conda  itself,  besides  gold,  gloves,  and  other  booty; 
while  between  the  bales  were  cloves  and  nutmegs 
ying  loose  so  that  you  might  wade  in  them  to  your 
knees  and,  if  the  wind  set  right,  could  smell  the 
ships  as  they  came  up  the  bay.  Another  profit 
was  reaped  on  this  exchange,  so  that  one  voyage 
might  net  a  vessel  fifty  thousand  pounds  or  more, 
and  there  was  no  risk  from  pirates,  as  the  corsairs 
did  not  molest  those  who  traded  with  them  and! 

29 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

offered  them  their  best  means  of  returning  to 
their  homes. 

Small  wonder  that  Arab  gold  and  Portuguese 
half-jos  were  more  numerous  than  English 
guineas,  and  that  Lord  Bellomont,  who  was  sent 
to  replace  Governor  Fletcher,  had  met  with  oppo- 
sition to  his  attempts  to  regulate  this  illegal  traffic. 

On  hearing  Judith's  news  it  is  likely  that  every 
man  at  that  table  except  young  Lane  was  asking 
himself  if  the  old  days  were  coming  back  when, 
if  one  did  not  wish  to  be  shorn,  it  was  safer  to 
be  a  wolf. 

Tom  Lane,  the  exception,  was  boy  enough  to 
long  for  the  pirate  tale,  caring  nothing  for  what 
it  might  portend.  Wholly  forgetting  the  august 
company,  and  leaning  well  across  the  table  among 
the  tea-cups,  he  cried  excitedly : 

"What  happened?  I  pray  you  tell  the  story. 
Was  she  taken  off  the  Malabar  coast  or  the  West 
Indies?  Did  they  scuttle  her?  Were  the  crew 
made  to  walk  the  plank  ?  How  had  you  the  news  ? 
And  who  was  the  pirate  captain  ? 

"Softly,  softly,"  said  Here  van  Bursum,  "the 
Juffer  will  be  drowned  in  such  a  rush  of  words. 

30 


LADY  HATH  GIFT  SHE  COVETS 

Let  her  give  us  the  history  in  her  own  way  and 
at  her  ease." 

"Indeed  there  is  naught  more  for  me  to  tell," 
Judith  said  calmly.  "My  father  told  me  by 
word  of  mouth  exactly  what  I  have  recounted  to 
you." 

"But,  my  child,"  Here  van  Bursum  spoke  com- 
passionately, "such  a  loss  is  enough  to  cripple  the 
richest." 

Nods  went  around  the  table.  It  was  evident 
that  all  of  the  men  felt  that  here  was  a  fact  which 
materially  altered  the  position  of  the  young  girl. 

"My  father  was  a  great  merchant  with  shares 
in  many  ventures,"  she  returned,  unperturbed. 
"Is  it  not  possible  that  others  divided  this  loss  with 
him  ?  I  cannot  believe  he  would  n't  have  told  me 
if  the  matter  were  so  serious  as  you  seem  to  fear. 
Even  the  hen-wife  puts  not*  all  her  eggs  in  one 
basket." 

"To  be  sure!  To  be  sure!"  Here  van  Bursum 
murmured  with  a  sigh  of  "relief.  "Doubtless  he 
carried  cargo  for  many.  Perchance  even  he  was 
not  sole  owner  of  the  ship." 

"Your  father's  papers  should  make  all  that 

31 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

clear,"  Peter  Morton  fussed.  "It  would  be  well  if 
we  examined  them  for  you." 

''If  any  difficulties  arise,  anything  that  passeth 
the  female  comprehension,  I  shall  thankfully  avail 
myself  of  your  kind  help,"  Judith  said,  "but,  an  I 
can,  I  wish  to  prove  myself  worthy  of  my  father's 
reliance  on  me  and  manage  my  affairs  myself." 

"  'T  is  an  overweening  ambition  for  a  female," 
Breesteede  grunted  sourly. 

"  'T  is  at  least  a  laudable  one,"  said  Edward 
Pierce  kindly,  "and  I  wish  you  all  success." 

"And  I  too ;  though  I  know  not  nor  can  divine 
what  the  town  will  come  to  if  the  women  are  taken 
out  of  their  homes  and  set  at  the  head  of  great 
affairs,"  Peter  Morton  mourned. 

The  gentlemen  rose  to  go.  It  seemed  as  if  all 
had  been  said  and  their  errand  ended. 

"Your  freedom  comes  to  you  as  a  birthday  gift, 
my  child."  Here  van  Bursum's  high  voice  was 
softened  as  he  looked  into  the  clear  young  eyes 
that  were  on  a  level  with  his  own.  "It  is  my  hope 
that  you  will  use  it  wisely,  although  I  too  am 
aware  of  apprehension  lest  lack  of  experience 
hamper  you  more  than  you  believe  possible." 

"At  least  experience  did  not  protect  her  father's 
32 


LADY  HATH  GIFT  SHE  COVETS 

ship  against  pirates,"  Tom  Lane  suggested,  still 
full  of  the  Great  Mogul.  "Think  you  it  was  the 
work  of  one  of  the  known  marooners,  Captain 
Tew  or — " 

But  the  elder  gentlemen,  no  longer  concerned 
with  Judith's  affairs,  cut  short  his  inquiries  by 
taking  their  departure,  each  doubtless  turning1 
over  in  his  mind  the  news  she  had  given  them  and 
its  possible  effect  upon  his  own  business  ventures. 

Tom  lingered,  not  inclined  longer  to  the  society 
of  his  elders,  and  designing  to  allow  them  some- 
what of  a  start,  as  his  way  lay  with  theirs. 

Judith,  however,  now  wished  to  be  about  her 
own  affairs,  having  much  that  needed  attention. 

"I  thank  you  for  your  good  services,"  she  told 
him.  "I  would  not  hasten  your  departure,  but  I 
must  take  Nan  home  as  I  promised  her." 

"I  'm  off  at  once,"  Tom  laughed,  "only  I  Ve  this 
to  say.  I  know  that  you  know  more  about  the 
Great  Mogul  than  you  told  our  reverend  sirs,  and 
some  day  I  mean  to  have  it  out  of  you.  I  '11  see 
you  soon  again."  With  which  words  he  too 
went  out  of  the  open  door,  and  his  whistling  could 
be  heard  all  the  way  down  the  brick  walk  to  the 
gate. 

33 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"And  now  we  will  go  at  once,"  Judith  held  out 
her  hand  to  Nan,  who  slipped  her  slender  fingers 
into  it  confidingly,  "Metje  will  clear  all  away. 
Moreover  it  is  not  far  to  the  Waal  Straat  and 
I  will  be  back  before  she  is  done." 

"I  should  not  take  you  from  your  tasks,"  Nan 
said,  but  it  was  plain  that  she  had  no  desire  to 
adventure  again  upon  the  streets  alone. 

"I  am  my  own  taskmaster  now,"  Judith  laughed 
gaily;  "come,  let  us  scamper." 

"You  will  not  tell  any  one  in  my  home  that 
aught  went  wrong  with  me  to-day,"  Nan  pleaded. 

Judith  stayed  her  steps  for  a  moment. 

"Pray,  why  not?"  she  asked.  "Indeed  I  think 
they  should  know  for  your  better  protection,  since 
you  must  go  to  school  with  such  rude  oafs." 

Nan  pondered  this  for  a  moment.  She  seemed 
a  grave  child  and  old  beyond  her  years.  Indeed 
to  Judith  it  was  as  if  she  lay  under  the  shadow  of 
her  father's  disgrace,  for  he  had  been  Governor 
Fletcher's  right  hand,  and  was  badly  smirched 
by  his  dealings  with  pirates. 

"This  is  the  way  of  it,"  the  child  explained. 
"There  was  no  grudge  against  me  because  /  am 
me.  It  is  just  that  they  like  not  our  clothes  nor 

34 


LADY  HATH  GIFT  SHE  COVETS 

that  we  sit  apart  at  the  top  of  the  room ;  they  think 
the  schoolmaster  favors  the  richer  pupils.  The 
truth  is  we  know  more  English  than  they,  so  the 
token  is  always  left  with  them ;  and  that  adds  to 
their  ill-will." 

"The  token?"  asked  Judith. 

"Yes,"  Nan  nodded.  "In  order  that  all  shall 
learn  to  speak  English,  the  first  who  uses  a  Dutch 
word  is  given  a  copper  token.  He  may  pass  it  on 
to  any  one  he  catches  talking  Dutch,  and  the  last 
who  holds  it  at  the  end  of  the  day  is  whipped. 
To-day  it  happened  that  one  of  us  had  it  all  morn- 
ing. It  is  a  half-holiday,  you  know,  and  the  lower 
end  of  the  room  was  all  a-buzz  with  joy.  Indeed 
Jan  Bloemers  could  not  contain  himself  and  when 
Kiliaen  was  going  up  to  take  his  punishment  Jan, 
said  out  loud,  'He  '11  get  the  plak  at  least. 
Kiliaen,  who  is  very  mannerly,  made  him  a  little 
bow  and  handed  him  the  token.  'Not  I !'  he  said. 
Jan  was  whipped,  and  that  made  all  his  friends 
very  angry." 

"But  was  he  not  fairly  caught?"  Judith  asked. 

Nan  knitted  her  brows  as  if  puzzled. 

"Yes,  and  no,"  she  returned.  "Plak  is  Dutch, 
there  is  no  gainsaying  that;  but  there  is  no 

35 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

English  word  for  it.  It  is  not  a  rod  nor  even  a 
ruler,  and  that  being  the  case  they  did  not  think 
it  quite  fair." 

"But  that  was  no  reason  for  teasing  you," 
Judith  insisted.  "You  had  naught  to  do  with  it." 

"I  laughed,"  Nan  acknowledged.  "It  was  not 
at  Jan;  but  that  they  could  not  know.  It  was 
because  Kiliaen  reminded  me  of  my  Lord  Bello- 
mont,  he  was  so — gracious."  She  had  hesitated 
an  instant  to  find  the  right  word. 

"What  know  you  of  Lord  Bellomont?"  Judith 
asked,  surprised  that  Daniel  Roman's  daughter 
should  speak  so  familiarly  of  his  Excellency  the 
governor. 

"I  go  there  to  sing  to  Lady  Bellomont,"  the  girl 
said  simply.  "She  is  in  need  of  entertainment. 
Never  mind  that  now.  I  wish  an  education.  I 
must  learn  all  I  can  where  I  can.  My  mother 
examined  well  their  signs  and  what  they  were 
licensed  to  teach,  and  decided  upon  this  as  the 
best  school  in  the  city.  Did  my  nurse  hear  that 
I  had  met  with  annoyance,  she  would  ask  mother 
to  take  me  away,  and  I  might  lose  precious  time, 
lacking  a  teacher.  If  I  am  always  met  at  the 

36 


LADY  HATH  GIFT  SHE  COVETS 

door,  and  I  myself  can  arrange  that — I  '11 
be  as  safe  where  I  am  as  anywhere." 

"Very  well,"  Judith  agreed,  "I  shall  say  noth- 
ing. In  fact  I  think  it  better  that  I  should  leave 
you  outside  your  gate  so  that  you  will  not  have 
to  explain  my  presence." 

"My  mother  has  gone  a-visiting  in  the  Jerseys," 
Nan  said,  after  considering  this  a  moment,  "so 
she  would  not  be  at  home  to  receive  you;  and  I 
shall  come  soon  to  thank  you  as  I  have  not  yet' 
found  words  to  do." 

Accordingly  they  parted,  but  as  she  ran  up  the 
stoep  before  her  door  Nan  turned  and  waved  her 
hand,  calling,  "I  '11  see  you  soon  again." 

And  Judith  realized  that  this  was  the  second 
time  she  had  heard  the  words  that  day. 


37 


CHAPTER  IV 

IN  WHICH  THERE  IS  MENTION  OF  A  STRANGE 
FLOWER 

ON  her  return  the  girl  found  Metje  awaiting 
her. 

"The  dainties  are  on  the  table  near  the  store- 
closet,  handy  for  you  to  lock  away,"  the  woman 
told  her.  "I  Ve  set  a  pot  of  water  to  heat. 
When  it  boils  we  should  wash  up  an  we  would  be 
done  before  supper-time." 

As  in  all  Dutch  households,  Judith  and  Metje 
did  the  work  together.  Here  Van  Taarl  had 
brought  the  woman  over  from  Holland  as  a  re- 
demptioner,  bound  to  work  for  him  until  she  had 
earned  her  passage-money,  which,  with  the  low 
rate  of  wages,  took  several  years.  Metje  had 
come  when  Judith  was  very  little  and  had  not  been 
quick  to  marry.  When  Judith's  mother  died  her 
heart  had  gone  out  to  the  lonely  child  whose 
father  was  so  immersed  in  his  business,  and  she 

38 


MENTION  OF  A  STRANGE  FLOWER 

had  stayed  on  at  suitable  wages  but  without  bond. 

Van  Taarl  was  quite  content  that  it  should 
be  so.  Unlike  most  of  the  Dutchmen  who  came 
to  New  Amsterdam  in  Peter  Stuyvesant's  time, 
he  had  no  intention  of  attaching  himself  to  the 
new  country.  He  acquired  no  bouwcrie,  no  foot 
of  land  in  the  town.  His  wife  inheriting  a  sub- 
stantial dwelling  from  her  father,  he  removed  his 
home  and  business  to  it,  but  that  did  not  alter  his 
plans.  He  meant  to  make  a  great  fortune  and 
then  return  to  "Patria." 

A  very  young  man  when  he  arrived,  he  had 
hardly  established  himself  before  the  English 
came  and  took  over  the  city,  renaming  it  New 
Yorke.  At  first  he  thought  he  could  not  endure 
to  live  in  servitude  to  his  enemies,  but  he  soon 
found  that  they  were  able  to  do  little  to  change 
conditions.  Dutch  was  still  the  language  of  New; 
Yorke  and  Dutchmen  its  inhabitants. 

He  was  pleased  when  a  Dutch  fleet  under  Com- 
modores Evertsen  and  Benkes  retook  the  town 
and  province  in  1673;  but  he  did  not  greatly 
grieve  when  the  peace  of  Westminster  conceded 
the  Nieuw  Nederlandts  to  England  in  1674. 
Really,  he  told  himself,  it  was  nothing  to  him. 

39 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

He  had  done  business  under  the  English  before 
and  could  again. 

"The  happy  revolution"  which  set  Mary 
Stuart  and  William  of  Orange  on  the  English 
throne  saw  him  still  in  the  city.  He  was  rich, 
but  not  yet  rich  enough. 

Queen  Mary  died.  Van  Taarl  hardly  knew  it, 
so  immersed  was  he  in  his  affairs ;  but  he  grudged 
the  little  he  was  asked  to  give  to  drape  the  city 
in  mourning  at  her  death.  The  king  was  a 
staunch  Dutchman,  so  he,  too,  would  rather 
every  stuyver  of  a  true  man's  fortune  should  be 
hoarded  to  spend  in  the  Lowlands. 

Thus  years  passed  and  at  last  the  goal  was  in 
sight.  It  was  only  a  matter  of  months  when  Van 
Taarl  should  cross  the  seas  to  return  to  the  New 
World  no  more. 

The  merchant  never  spoke  of  his  dreams  to 
any  one,  least  of  all  to  his  daughter.  It  would 
be  time  enough  to  tell  Judith  what  was  expected 
of  her  when  he  was  quite  ready.  Moreover  she 
would  scarce  relish  the  news,  having  been  her 
own  mistress  so  long ;  for  in  Holland  he  meant  to 
marry  again  and  found  a  great  family 

Then  came  two  unexpected  happenings,  the 
40 


MENTION  OF  A  STRANGE  FLOWER 

second  less  reparable  than  the  first.  His  ship, 
the  Great  Mogul,  was  captured  by  freebooters, 
and  Nicolaes  Van  Taarl,  who  had  never  had  a 
day's  sickness  in  his  life,  learned  that  his  end  was 
near. 

His  first  thought  was  not  of  his  daughter  but 
of  his  possessions.  Later  he  called  her  to  him 
and  told  her  of  the  will  he  had  just  made  and  of 
what  he  had  planned.  And  Judith  agreed  to 
carry  out  his  wishes  in  every  particular  save  one. 
She  was  not  ready  to  marry.  Thus  his  last 
words  were: 

"1  do  not  demand  that  obedience  unless  there 
is  no  other  way  to  fulfil  the  commands  I  have 
laid  upon  you;  but  bear  this  in  mind,  a  father's 
last  wishes  are  sacred,  and  it  is  my  pride  that  no 
one  shall  pry  into  my  affairs  to  say  I  failed  of 
my  intent." 

Judith  opened  her  mouth  to  reply,  but  he 
waved  her  from  the  room. 

"My  strength  is  gone.  I  would  sleep,"  he 
said  fretfully.  "Beside,  what  need  for  a  flux  of 
words?  You  know  what  you  must  do  if  you 
would  earn  my  blessing.  A  marriage  with  De 
Heem's  son  would  set  all  straight." 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

For  a  moment  his  hand  rested  upon  her  bowed 
head;  but  when  she  looked  at  him  he  seemed  to 
have  sunk  into  the  sleep  from  which  he  never 
wakened. 

The  girl  could  not  be  expected  to  grieve 
deeply  for  one  who  had  deliberately  shut  her  out 
of  his  life,  not  from  unkindness  or  dislike  but 
from  indifference.  She  quickly  took  up  her  tasks 
again,  determined  to  carry  out  her  father's 
wishes  in  every  particular.  Too  well  she  knew 
that  had  there  been  any  other  he  could  trust  he 
would  not  have  turned  to  her  at  the  last.  He  had 
no  faith  in  a  female's  hardihood  or  ability;  but 
somewhere  within  him  there  had  lived  a  hope 
that  if  she  kept  closely  to  his  plan  the  results 
would  be  what  he  wished.  He  was  not  asking 
her  to  do  anything  on  her  own  initiative.  Rather 
his  idea  was  that,  as  a  reflection  in  a  mirror 
follows  each  movement  of  the  one  before  it,  so 
she,  without  thought,  might  follow  the  plans  he 
had  laid  before  her. 

And  already  in  securing  her  liberty  from  the 
Lords  Orphan  Masters  Judith  had  taken  a  long 
step  forward.  She  went  to  bed  that  night  quite 
satisfied  with  her  progress,  and  slept  so  soundly 

42 


MENTION  OF  A  STRANGE  FLOWER 

that  she  failed  to  waken  even  when  one  of  the 
periodical  battles  between  Metje  and  the  watch 
grew  acrimonious  over  the  smoky  condition  of 
the  lanthorns  which,  as  hers  was  a  seventh 
house,  the  law  required  her  to  hang  out  on  moon- 
less nights  for  the  illumination  of  the  streets. 

Some  days  were  to  pass  before  Judith  saw 
either  of  her  new  friends  again. 

The  weather  had  been  too  fine  to  last  and  a 
wild  storm  set  in  that  filled  the  gutters  in  the 
middle  of  the  streets  to  overflowing  and  drenched 
passers-by  with  the  streams  shot  from  the  roofs 
by  the  rain-spouts. 

It  cleared  at  last  with  a  freezing  wind  out  of 
the  northwest,  and  the  girl  hurried  early  to  her 
garden  to  make  sure  that  the  protection  for  the 
winter  had  not  been  washed  from  the  beds  where 
her  precious  tulips  and  other  bulbs  were  planted. 

As  she  worked  down  toward  the  front  gate  in 
her  careful  inspection  she  was  accosted  from  the 
street  and  turned  to  see  Tom  Lane  looking  over 
the  wall  at  her. 

"Good  day  to  you,"  he  said  smilingly.  "I  Ve 
come  for  news  of  the  Great  Mogul.  May  I 
enter?" 

43 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

Judith  bade  him  welcome  and,  being  somewhat 
embarrassed  by  his  presence,  continued  her  in- 
spection of  her  garden  beds  until  Tom  grew 
impatient. 

"I  can  see  naught  of  interest  there,"  he  said, 
gazing  appraisingly  at  the  litter,  "and  I  'm  vastly 
curious  about  the  Great  Mogul.  Can  you  not 
spare  the  time  to  tell  me  the  story?" 

"Some  months  from  now,  if  all  goes  well,  there 
will  be  a  different  tune  to  sing  about  my  flower- 
beds," Judith  declared.  "There  is  a  flower 
planted  there,  a  surpassing  curiosity — " 

"Naught  can  surpass  my  curiosity,  Tom 
laughed.  "Tell  me,  I  pray  you,  of  the  piracy.  I 
cannot  sleep  for  thinking  of  it." 

"Come  in  then,"  Judith  said.  "The  wind  is 
cutting  to-day." 

Together  they  entered  the  voorhuis  and  Judith 
threw  off  her  fur-edged  jacket  and  seated  her- 
self with  her  elbows  on  the  table. 

"There  's  not  so  much  to  tell,  after  all,"  she 
declared  at  last.  "The  ship  was  seized  by  an- 
other flying  the  black  flag.  No  one  was  hurt  for 
no  resistence  was  offered;  and  the  officers  and 
men  were  marooned  on  an  island  where  by  right 

44 


MENTION  OF  A  STRANGE  FLOWER 

they  should  have  lived  and  died,  so  little  was  it 
visited;  but,  as  chance  would  have  it,  the  Santa 
Lucia  out  of  Venice  put  in  there,  her  water  hav- 
ing gone  bad,  and  so  they  were  taken  off  ere  they 
had  come  to  want.  The  captain  lost  no  time  in 
sending  my  father  word  of  the  misadventure. 
He  had  found  other  employ  on  the  ship  of  a  Da- 
nish merchant,  and  had  little  to  tell  save  the  short 
account  of  their  meeting  with  a  pirate  seemingly 
heavily  armed  and  manned,  whom  they  felt 
powerless  to  withstand.  The  buccaneer  put 
a  crew  on  the  Great  Mogul  and  sailed  away  with 
both  ships. 

"Two  things  only  he  held  to  be  strange.  One 
was  something  one  of  the  boatmen  who  landed 
them  on  the  island  let  drop,  that  assured  him  that 
it  was  their  vessel  and  their  vessel  only  the  pirate 
had  sailed  out  to  intercept.  Does  not  that  seem 
odd  to  you?" 

Tom  gave  the  matter  serious  thought. 

"Nay,"  he  said  with  disappointment,  "that's 
reasonable  enough.  'T  is  not  every  day  such  a 
rich  cargo  is  set  afloat.  Doubtless  these  sea- 
robbers  have  spies  who  forewarn  them  of  such 
prizes." 

45 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"That  may  have  been  the  way  of  it."  Judith 
wrinkled  her  brow.  "But  my  lather  said  this 
voyage  was  very  secret." 

"What  is  tht  other  strange  happening?"  Tom 
asked. 

"It  was  not  a  happening,"  Judith  replied.  "A 
shot  was  fired  across  the  Mogul's  bows  at  day- 
break. There  was  scarce  light  to  see  their 
enemy;  but  as  day  had  dawned  and  it  grew 
brighter  each  moment,  they  could  not  hope  to 
escape  in  the  dusk,  so  they  lay  to  and  were 
boarded.  No  time  was  lost  in  securing  them,  both 
officers  and  men.  Yet  when  full  daylight  was 
come  our  captain  declared  that  he  found  most  of 
his  enemy's  guns  to  be  dummies." 

"How  mean  you?"  Tom  asked  greatly  puz- 
zled. 

"Just  what  I  say,"  Judith  answered.  "He 
thought  that  the  boat  which  had  seized  them,  with 
her  black  flag  and  her  many  cannons,  was  in 
reality  no  proper  pirate  but  a  merchantman  with 
painted  ports  and  sham  guns,  who  had  cunningly 
attacked  them  while  the  light  wras  too  dim  for 
them  to  detec*  the  imposition." 

"None  the  less  was  it  a  pirate,"  Tom  declared, 


MENTION  OF  A  STRANGE  FLOWER 

unable  to  fit  his  mind  to  Judith's  meaning.     "It 
fired  on  them  and  marooned  their  crew." 

"Yes,  yes,"  said  the  girl  impatiently,  "I  'm 
not  denying  that ;  but  for  all  that  it  seems  to  me  a 
strange  buccaneer  who  has  no  more  than  a  mock- 
ery of  force  to  back  his  threats." 

A  knock  on  the  door  brought  Judith  to  her 
feet  to  open  it.  Nan  Homan,  attended  by  her 
nurse,  stood  without,  undismayed  by  Krumm 
the  watch-dog,  who  was  growling  menacingly. 

"This  is  Nurse  Kate,"  Nan  indicated  with  her 
hand  the  substantial  figure  at  her  side,  "but  I 
know  not  your  name." 

"I  am  Judith  Van  Taarl,"  the  older  girl  smiled, 
acknowledging  the  respectful  curtesy  with  which 
Nu'rse  Kate  favored  her,  after  an  appraising 
glance  to  determine  whether  her  charge's  new 
acquaintance  was  gentle  or  simple.  "If  Nurse 
Kate  will  go  into  the  kitchen,  Metje  will  soon 
have  ready  some  tea,  which  I  hope  you  will  share 
with  us." 

"Another  time,"  said  Nan,  "I  would  like  it,  if 
I  may  come  again.  Now  my  mother  begs  that 
you  will  wait  upon  her.  She  longs  to  thank  you 
for  the  care  you  took  of  me  on  Saturday." 

47 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"But  I  thought  that  was  to  be  a  secret  between 
us,"  Judith  said,  rather  surprised  to  find  that  the 
story  had  been  told. 

"So  it  was,"  Nan  nodded.  "You  see,  mother 
was  away  in  the  Jerseys  and  I  forgot  her.  It 
was  of  Katie  I  was  thinking  chiefly.  I  might 
have  known  I  could  not  keep  aught  secret  from 
my  mother.  And  now  she  is  home  with  a  sprained 
ankle  and,  as  she  cannot  come  to  you,  she  begs 
that  you  will  visit  her." 

This  was  a  request  that  could  hardly  be  re- 
fused, and  Judith,  with  an  apology  to  Tom,  ran 
upstairs  to  make  ready. 

Nan  had  elected  to  await  her  out  of  doors  and 
there  Judith  found  the  child  with  an  arm  about 
the  neck  of  the  great  watch-dog.  Metje,  who 
had  hurried  to  make  friends  with  Katie,  pointed 
to  them  at  once. 

"Never  have  I  seen  the  like!"  she  declared. 
"The  beast  is  so  savage  that  I  fear  to  so  much 
as  feed  him.  I  go  in  trembling  of  his  great  jaws, 
yet  look  at  him  now.  I  vow  he  hath  a  smile  on 
his  silly  face  and  appeareth  as  if  he  would  like  to 
purr." 


MENTION  OF  A  STRANGE  FLOWER 

Nan  laughed  outright  at  the  aptness  of  this 
description,  and  when  the  child  laughed  the 
brightness  of  her  smile  irradiated  her  counte- 
nance like  sunlight. 

"He  plays  with  you.  It  is  his  jest  to  frighten 
you  the  more  because  he  feels  that  you  are  afraid. 
I  fear  him  not  and  so  he  loveth  me.  Give  me 
your  paw,  sir,  in  token  of  friendship." 

Almost  sheepishly  Krumm  lifted  his  heavy 
paw  as  he  was  bidden  and  put  it  in  the  small  hand 
outstretched  to  receive  it. 

"Now  we  are  friends,"  said  Nan,  "and  I  shall 
come  often  to  see  you.  We  will  have  many 
romps  together.  I  like  you  better  than  I  do  my 
mother's  spaniel  dogs,  who  are  empty-headed  and 
vain.  All  they  care  for  is  to  be  brushed,  curled 
and  perfumed.  They  are  fops  like  his  Excel- 
lency, Lieutenant-Governor  Nanfan." 

"Missy,"  cried  Nurse  Kate  chidingly,  have  a 
care.  'T  is  an  ill  thing  to  speak  of  those  in 
power  without  due  thought." 

"My  words  were  measured,"  Nan  returned, 
"and  there  was  no  offense  in  them,  for  his 
Excellency  liketh  to  be  known  as  an  exquisite." 

49 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"None  the  less,"  her  nurse  urged,  looking  this 
way  and  that,  "  't  is  important  that  we  give  no 
offense  to  the  authorities." 

"Enough !  Enough !"  cried  Nan,  the  care-free 
joy  gone  from  her  face.  "I  will  order  my  tongue. 
You  need  say  no  more." 

Her  moment  of  childish  forget  fulness  was 
over  and  she  turned  from  Krumm  without  a  part- 
ing caress;  but  he  would  not  have  it  so  and 
followed  her  to  the  end  of  his  tether,  gently  lick- 
ing her  hand  with  his  rough  tongue,  so  that  at 
the  last  her  heart  softened  and  once  more,  im- 
petuously, she  threw  her  arms  around  his  neck 
and  kissed  the  top  of  his  great  head. 

"Were  you  mine  I  would  have  you  sleep  at  the 
foot  of  my  bed  and  never,  never  leave  me,"  she 
said  in  farewell.  Then,  turning  to  Judith,  she 
asked,  "why  do  you  keep  him  tethered?  When 
one  is  held  on  a  leash  one  is  always  sad."  The 
words  were  spoken  as  if  she  too  felt  herself  in 
bonds. 

Judith,  anxious  to  bring  back  the  smiles  to  the 
child's  face,  answered  her  lightly. 

"You  see,  Krumm  and  I  have  never  been  on 
intimate  terms.  We  respect  each  other  but  I 

50 


MENTION  OF  A  STRANGE  FLOWER 

have  yet  to  cultivate  his  better  acquaintance. 
I  'm  not  quite  sure  that  he  would  like  it  if  I 
whispered  little  love  words  in  his  ear." 

Nan  stopped  and  looked  at  her  keenly,  then  she 
smiled  her  radiant  smile. 

"He  would  like  it,"  she  said.  "I  can  tell  you 
that,"  and  she  slipped  her  hand  within  Judith's 
arm. 

"Who  would  like  what?"  Tom  asked,  coming 
hurriedly  out  of  the  house  where  he  had  lingered, 
looking  at  a  model  of  the  Great  Mogul  which 
hung  from  one  of  the  rafters. 

"Any  one  would  like  to  have  Judith  say  them 
love  words,"  Nan  answered  mischievously.  She 
remembered  the  tall  lad  at  once  and  naturally 
fancied  him  an  old  friend  of  Judith's. 

Tom  started  almost  imperceptibly,  then  he 
laughed. 

"  'T  is  your  intent  to  mystify  me,"  he  declared. 

"That  it  is,"  said  Judith,  blushing  a  little. 
"We  spoke  only  of  Krumm,  the  great  hound  my 
father  brought  out  of  Denmark.  Nan  has  won 
his  regard  and  thinks  I  might  do  the  same." 

"It  would  be  worth  the  doing,"  young  Lane 
told  her.  "Those  dogs  make  faithful  friends — 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

and  faithfuller  enemies,"  he  added,  "for  they 
never  forget  a  wrong." 

"I  see  that  it  behooves  me  to  court  Krumm 
with  soft  sayings,  pretty  manners,  and  tasty  tid- 
bits, and  I  shall  set  about  it  at  once,"  Judith  de- 
clared. 

Nan  looked  up  at  her  to  discover  if  she  meant 
her  words;  then,  with  one  of  her  sudden  rever- 
sions to  childishness,  she  threw  her  arms  around 
the  older  girl  and  cried: 

"Now  I  am  happy!  I  could  not  bear  to  see 
him  so  lonely,  for  Krumm  is  such  a  sweet  puppy." 

This  description  of  the  great  hound  was 
droll  enough,  yet  Judith  looked  over  the  top  of 
Nan's  head  at  Tom  without  a  smile.  Her  affec- 
tion for  the  child  was  growing  and  she  felt  some- 
thing infinitely  touching  about  her. 

A  little  later  they  reached  their  destination  and 
Nan  turned  to  Tom,  her  manner  once  again  that 
of  a  woman  grown. 

"My  mother  must  keep  to  her  room,"  she  ex- 
plained. "  'T  is  my  regret  that  I  cannot  ask  you 
to  join  us  in  a  dish  of  tea  until  she  has  recovered." 

"A  regret  which  I  share,"  Tom  declared,  tak- 
ing off  his  hat  and  making  them  a  very  grand 

52 


MENTION  OF  A  STRANGE  FLOWER 

bow,  before  sounding  three  portentous  knocks 
with  the  knocker.  "But  I  hope  that  the  time  of 
our  next  meeting  may  not  be  long  deferred." 


53 


CHAPTER    V 


AS  the  door  closed  upon  them  Nan  gave  three 
little  skips. 

"I  like  him/'  she  announced  positively.  "He 
hath  been  well  brought  up.  The  way  to  his  hat 
is  no  mystery  to  him.  And  now  we  will  go  at 
once  to  my  mother,  who  cannot  come  to  greet 
you,  as  her  foot  must  not  be  touched  to  the  floor." 

They  ascended  the  stairs  together  and  found 
Mrs.  Homan  in  her  bedchamber.  Judith  had  no 
wish  to  pry  into  the  affairs  of  the  Homans',  know- 
ing Daniel  Homan  to  have  been  discredited  with 
Fletcher  as  an  active  aid  to  pirates;  but  it  was 
evident,  even  in  this  short  passage  through  the 
house,  that  its  owner  was  in  affluent  circum- 
stances. Below  stairs  the  girl  caught  glimpses 
of  many  rich  furnishings;  but  it  was  upstairs 
that  she  found  a  luxury  such  as  she  had  never 
seen  before.  There  was  a  dressing-table  having 

54 


JUDITH  IS  CALLED  A  MISER 

a  mirror  with  a  silver  frame,  a  dressing-box, 
from  which  gold  and  ivory  instruments  peeped 
forth,  soft  chairs  covered  with  needlework,  and 
a  great  bed  whose  silk-fringed  hangings  did  not 
conceal  the  lady  who,  wrapped  in  silk,  reposed 
on  its  down  cushions  with  one  foot  on  a  pillow. 

"Come  in,  my  dear,"  she  said  cordially,  as 
Judith  paused  on  the  theshold,  "I  could  not  wait 
until  this  hurt  was  healed  to  thank  you  for  your 
care  of  Nan."  Impatiently  she  twitched  aside 
her  flowered  bed-gown  to  show  her  swollen 
ankle.  "My  poppet,  draw  up  a  chair  for  your 
friend;  then  tell  them  below  stairs  to  set  out  the 
tea-board  and  bring  it  here.  You  shall  play 
housewife  and  serve  us  as  though  you  were  a 
daughter  grown  instead  of  such  a  baby  thing. 
The  ordering  of  everything  is  in  your  hands." 
She  handed  Nan  her  silver  chatelaine  and  keys; 
but  said  no  more  until  she  heard  the  child's  light 
step  upon  the  stair,  when  she  turned  to  her 
visitor  feverishly. 

"  'T  was  good  of  you  to  come.  Had  you  been 
English  I  should  not  have  asked  it,  for  Lord 
Bellomont  is  quick  to  visit  his  displeasure  on  any 
who  seem  friendly  to  Fletcher's  friends.  Yet  I 

55 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

must  hear  of  Nan's  adventure.  I  have  sent  my 
sons  out  of  the  province  that  their  father's  con- 
nection with  our  late  governor  be  not  a  clog  about 
their  feet,  but  can  it  be  that  I  may  not  even  keep 
my  baby  at  my  side?" 

"No,  no!"  said  Judith.  "This  was  not  a 
movement  against  Nan,"  and  she  quickly  re- 
counted all  she  knew  of  the  matter. 

"  'T  is  better  than  I  feared,"  Mrs.  Roman  said, 
"yet  I  find  myself  in  a  cleft  stick.  If  I  lodge  a 
complaint  these  baser-born  children  will  watch 
their  chance  to  even  the  matter  with  her.  If, 
on  the  contrary,  naught  is  said,  they  will  think 
she  lacketh  a  defender." 

"Can  you  not  teach  her  at  home?"  Judith  asked. 
"I  was  so  taught." 

"I  have  neither  the  learning  nor  the  patience," 
Mrs.  Homan  answered. 

"But  you  might  find  a  tutor,"  Judith  suggested. 
"My  master  hath  gone  back  to  Patria,  else  he 
would  serve  your  turn." 

"Nan  is  such  a  tender  babe.  I  would  that  we 
could  find  her  a  learned  governess,"  the  mother 
said.  "No  price  would  stay  me." 

"It  might  be  possible — "     Judith  hesitated  at 

56 


JUDITH  IS  CALLED  A  MISER 

a  loss  to  express  the  idea  that  had  suddenly  come 
to  her.  Then  she  began  afresh.  "An  you  would 
care  to  have  me  direct  her  studies  until  such  time 
as  you  find  some  one  better  qualified,  I  will  gladly 
instruct  her  for  certain  hours  each  day.  Ready 
money  will  be  very  welcome  to  me." 

In  her  astonishment  Mistress  Homan  sat  up- 
right. 

"But  I  thought — "  she  began.  "Are  you 
not — ?"  She  came  to  a  second  stop. 

"Yes,"  said  Judith,  "I  am  Judith  Van  Taarl, 
whom  you  have  doubtless  heard  spoken  of  as  a 
great  heiress.  But  my  possessions  are  in  goods, 
not  gold,  and  I  do  not  wish  to  be  hastened  by  need 
to  sell  aught  below  my  price.  Nor  do  I  wish  to 
go  a-borrowing,  lest  the  Lords  Orphan  Masters 
question  their  wisdom  in  leaving  me  to  my  own 
direction." 

Mrs.  Homan,  managing  to  conceal  her  puzzle- 
ment that  a  girl  of  Judith's  standing  should  find 
herself  in  need  of  money,  gratefully  accepted  the 
offer ;  and  on  Nan's  arrival,  escorting  Kate  and 
the  tea-board,  there  was  great  rejoicing  over  the 
news. 

Judith  -went  home  that  afternoon  counting  her- 

57 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

self  lucky  to  have  won  both  friends  and  lucrative 
employment.  She  knew  now  that  she  had  been 
lonely  and  meant  to  be  so  no  more.  The  sight 
of  Krumm's  house  reminded  her  of  the  hound. 
Might  it  not  be  that  his  disposition  seemed 
crabbed  because  he  was  lonely  too  ? 

"Krumm,"  she  called,  "come  forth,  sir!" 

Obediently  the  great  beast  scrambled  out  of  his 
door,  and  for  a  moment  she  knew  not  what  to  do. 
Indeed  she  grew  embarrassed  as  if  she  had  begun 
a  conversation  which  she  had  no  idea  how  to  con- 
tinue. Then,  half  timidly,  not  because  she  was 
afraid  but  because  to  offer  a  caress  was  new  to 
her,  she  put  out  her  hand  and  patted  his  smootri 
head. 

Krumm  wagged  a  heavy  tail  politely ;  then  of  a 
sudden  something  melted  within  her  and  Judith 
threw  her  arms  around  his  neck  as  she  had  seen 
Nan  do,  while  the  dog  wriggled  with  delight. 

"O  Krumm,"  she  said,  "we  will  be  friends, 
won't  we  ?" 

A  month  more  of  the  winter  had  gone  by  and 
Judith  had  become  quite  accustomed  to  teaching 
Nan,  when,  returning  one  day  from  tea  with 

58 


JUDITH  IS  CALLED  A  MISER 

Mistress  Homan,  she  found  a  number  of  girls, 
members  of  the  Company  to  which  she  had  be- 
longed since  her  earliest  childhood,  seated  in  the 
voorhuis  awaiting  her. 

"Metje  told  us  that  you  had  been  invited  out 
for  your  stuk"  Geertruy  Dircksen  remarked. 

"I  hope  she  offered  you  something  to  eat,  not- 
withstanding that,"  Judith  said,  mindful  of  the 
Dutch  tradition  of  hospitality. 

"She  did,"  Lysbet  Elsenwaert  assured  her, 
"but  we  had  eaten  ere  we  came." 

"We  were  glad  to  know  that  you  were  visiting," 
Blandina  Jaspyn  suggested.  "We  took  it  to 
mean  that  your  period  of  mourning  was  over." 

"  'T  is  time  it  was !"  Geertruy  Dircksen  spoke 
energetically  and  emphatically.  "If  a  widow 
may  marry  in  six  months  without  shame — " 

"It  has  naught  to  do  with  me  how  soon  a  widow 
may  remarry,"  Judith  said,  a  faint  hostility  in  her 
tone.  "I  am  little  minded  yet  for  gaiety." 

"Yet  you  went  a-visiting  to-day,"  Blandina 
hinted. 

"I  went  to  see  an  older  woman  with  a  hurt 
foot,"  Judith  explained  impatiently. 

"Oh,  wae"  sighed  Marya  Jaspyn,  Blandina's 

59 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

younger  sister,  who  had  not  spoken  before. 
"We  had  been  hoping  that  you  were  done  with 
sadness  and  would  be  ready  to  give  us  a  party  to 
mark  your  return  to  our  company  of  playmates." 

"This  house  was  clearly  made  for  dancing 
parties  after  the  new  English  fashion,"  declared 
Blandina  eagerly. 

"Never  could  there  be  a  finer  floor  than  your 
great  chamber  boasts,"  Geertruy  said,  a  trifle 
enviously.  "Were  it  mine  without  elders  or 
overseers  to  hinder  me,  I  would  engage  the  new 
French  dancing-master,  who  has  but  recently 
come  to  the  city,  to  teach  our  Company  here  once 
a  -week." 

Judith's  cheeks  reddened  with  annoyance  at 
this  broad  hint.  It  was  easy  for  her  to  imagine 
how  the  girls  had  let  their  tongues  run  on  and 
their  hopes  rise  while  they  sat  waiting  for  her 
return. 

"I  'm  sorry  that  you  have  not  a  room  like  it," 
she  remarked,  trying  to  hide  her  irritation. 

"You — you  could  lend  us  this,"  Blandina  sug- 
gested hopefully.  "If  you  did  n't  care  to  meet 
the  whole  expense  of  the  teacher — " 

60 


JUDITH  IS  CALLED  A  MISER 

"Which,  in  your  own  house,  we  thought  you 
might  prefer,"  Marya  put  in. 

"Each  one  of  the  company  who  joined  the 
lessons  would  gladly  pay  a  part,"  Geertruy  and 
Blandina  said  almost  in  one  breath. 

"There  can  be  no  such  meetings  here,"  Judith 
stated  positively.  "I  am  surprised  that  you 
should  expect  it." 

"And  pray,  why  not?"  Geertruy  asked. 
"What  is  the  good  of  your  freedom  from  govern- 
ment if  you  do  not  mean  to  use  it?" 

"I  do  mean  to  use  it,  in  such  a  way  as  to  prove 
that  it  was  not  a  mistake  to  trust  me  with  it," 
Judith  said.  "Think  well  of  what  you  are  sug- 
gesting. I  am  quite  sure  your  mothers  would 
never  let  you  come  to  parties  for  dancing  here, 
where  there  is  no  older  huisvrouw  to  keep  watch 
over  us.  Well  you  know  how  the  Dominie  Selyns 
would  look  upon  such  a  plan." 

"In  truth  I  had  not  thought  of  begging  our 
reverend  pastor  to  join  our  company,"  Blandina 
said  saucily. 

"Seriously,  Judith,"  it  was  Lysbet  who  spoke, 
"I  do  not  believe  our  mothers  would  object,  so 

61 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

long  as  we  did  not  go  outside  of  our  own  Company 
for  guests.  We  have  always  played  together. 
It  is  no  secret  that  our  Tonis  and  Geertruy  were 
promised  in  their  cradles,  while  Blandina  and 
Joost  Varrevanger  are  almost — " 

"Leave  Joost  and  me  out  of  it,"  Blandina  inter- 
posed airily,  "  't  will  be  time  enough  to  tie  our 
names  together  when  I  have  untied  his  marriage 
knot."  This  was  a  reference  to  the  usual  present 
from  a  suitor,  of  money  tied  in  a  handkerchief 
embroidered  with  an  appropriate  motto.  If  the 
girl  untied  the  knot  it  signified  acceptance,  and 
Blandina's  show  of  spirit  raised  a  little  laugh. 

"She  's  bold  enough  wrhen  Joost  is  not  near," 
Marya  hinted. 

"An  she  cares  so  little  for  Joost,  she  will  not 
mind  hearing  that  he  was  seen  footing  to  it  to 
the  Locust  Trees  with  that  pretty  English  miss, 
Audrey  Lane,"  Geertruy  said  teasingly. 

"He  may  walk  with  whom  he  chooses,"  Blan- 
dina declared,  tossing  her  head,  but  coloring  finely 
at  the  same  time.  "The  Klaver  Waytie  and  the 
Maagde  Paetje  are  alike  open  to  him." 

These  places  were  all  resorts  of  sweethearts, 
and  it  was  evident  that  Blandina  was  seriously 

62 


hurt  at  the  idea  of  Joost's  defection,  try  as  she 
might  to  hide  it. 

Even  her  sister  Marya,  pink  and  white  as  an 
apple-blossom  but  selfish  and  more  than  a  little 
stupid,  saw  this  and  thought  to  comfort,  her  by 
berating  Joost. 

"I  Ve  small  liking  for  the  English,  have  you, 
Judith?"  -Then  without  waiting  for  an  answer 
she  went  on.  "Their  ways  are  not  our  ways. 
Dutch  lads  should  keep  to  Dutch  girls.  Why  do 
we  go  in  Companies  together  if  we  are  to  see  our- 
selves supplanted  by  Englishy  strangers  ?  There 
is  a  gallant  prospect  from  the  Locust  Trees,  but 
Joost  should  think  shame  of  himself — " 

"Be  silent,  Marya."  'Blandina,  having  had 
time  to  recover  from  her  surprise,  spoke  now 
with  unlooked-for  dignity.  "Joost  and  I  are  not 
promised.  He  is  quite  free  to  go  where  he  will. 
I  would  be  the  last  to  wish  to  hinder  his  friend- 
ships. As  for  the  English,  we  have  invited  none 
to  join  our  Company.  It  might  be  better  if  we 
had." 

"What  mean  you  by  that?"  asked  Geertruy, 
surprised. 

"Just  what  I  say,"  Blandina  replied.     "We  are 

63 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

too  Dutch.  There  is  scarce  another  Company 
which  has  no  English  members.  There  are 
things  we  might  learn  from  the  Islanders." 

A  storm  of  protest  broke  out  at  this.  Blandina 
waited  till  it  had  expended  itself,  then  went  on  as 
if  no  one  had  spoken. 

"Indeed  I  meant  what  I  said.  'T  is  all  very 
well  for  those  like  our  parents,  who  have  known 
Patria,  to  cling  to  thoughts  of  another  'happy 
revolution,'  or  some  such  fortunate  happening, 
to  throw  them  back  into  the  arms  of  the  Neder- 
landts.  But  what  are  all  their  politics  to  us? 
We  were  born  here.  Here  we  shall  live  and  die. 
The  Lowlands  and  great  England  are  alike  names 
only  to  us.  Therein  lies  the  gist  of  the  matter. 
We  have  a  Dutch  king,  but  English  rulers.  We 
may  call  ourselves  Dutch  and  talk  Dutch;  but 
how  long  can  that  last  when  the  very  schools 
must  teach  in  English?  And,  if  we  stir  abroad, 
it  is  upon  English  officials  we  must  depend." 

"There  is  truth  in  what  you  say,"  Judith 
agreed,  while  the  other  girls  sat  wondering  how 
their  talk  had  traveled  away  from  the  pleasant 
subject  of  dancing  to  this  uninteresting  topic, 


JUDITH  IS  CALLED  A  MISER 

fit  for  discussion  between  bearded  men,  not  gay 
girls. 

"What  think  you  we  should  do?" 

"We  should  be  satisfied  to  be  English  or  we 
should  go  elsewhere  to  live." 

"Satisfied  to  be  English !"  Geertruy  cried  indig- 
nantly. "Never!  Never!  Orange  boven!" 

"You  may  say  'Orange  over  all'  as  often  as 
you  please,  but  it  won't  alter  the  fact  that  Patria 
does  n't  want  us  enough  to  fight  for  us.  English 
we  are,  and  English  we  '11  stay." 

"What  then  is  your  idea  of  what  we  should 
do?"  Lysbet  spoke  almost  timidly.  "Surely 
't  is  too  late  to  ask  new  members  into  our 
Company.  They  would  feel  out  of  place  among 
such  old  friends." 

"It  would  be  for  us  to  make  them  feel  at  home. 
At  our  next  meeting  I  shall  propose  that  Audrey 
Lane  be  invited  to  join  us.  She  and  her  brother 
have  but  lately  come  from  Europe,  and,  if  they 
have  not  attached  themselves  elsewhere,  we  might 
persuade  them.  I  look  to  you  to  uphold  me." 

"She  and  her  brother!"  Geertruy  said  jeer- 
ingly.  "Oh,  ho !  That  explains  why  you  took  it 

65 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

so  lightly  that  Joost  walked  with  her  to  the  Lo- 
cust Trees;  for  I  judge  the  handsome  jonchere 
who  accompanied  them  was  this  brother  you 
speak  of." 

"Geertruy,  you  are  too  bad,"  Judith  said,  to 
cover  Blandina's  relief  at  the  news  that  Joost  and 
the  pretty  stranger  had  not  gone  unattended.  "I 
think  you  love  mischief  for  its  own  sake." 

"  'T  is  amusing  to  see  how  people  will  take 
things,"  Geertruy  acknowledged.  "To  make  up 
to  you,  Blandina,  for  my  jesting,  I  too  will  ask 
that  these  English  join  our  Company." 

"But,  to  return  to  our  first  subject,"  Marya  put 
in  anxiously,  "will  you  not  think  better  of  it,  Ju- 
dith, and  let  us  meet  here  for  dancing  and 
games?" 

"I  cannot,"  Judith  replied,  and  it  was  evident 
to  the  densest  of  her  friends  that  this  answer  was 
final. 

"But  you  will  soon  join  us  once  more?"  Blan- 
dina asked  affectionately.  "The  skating  should 
be  good  again.  We  miss  you,  Judith." 

Judith  pressed  Blandina's  hand,  yet  at  the  same 
time  shook  her  head  in  the  negative. 

"I  fear  I  cannot,"  she  said.  "Now  that  I  am 
66 


JUDITH  IS  CALLED  A  MISER 

my  own  mistress  I  am  also  my  own  taskmaster. 
I  must  drive  myself  to  forget  that  I  am  a  young 
girl  and  must  learn  to  think  and  work  like  a  man." 

"What  is  the  use  of  great  possessions  if  they 
are  to  make  your  life  one  long  slavery?"  cried 
Lysbet  aghast. 

"Will  you  never  amuse  yourself  again, 
Judith?"  asked  Marya,  her  eyes  Wide  with  as- 
tonishment. "At  least  say  that  you  -will  go  with 
us  in  the  spring  after  the  wild  strawberries  when 
they  ripen.  None  of  our  Company  have  ever 
been  absent  from  the  festival,  and  this  year  we 
are  to  have  fine  new  baskets  and  the  prettiest, 
gayest  ribbons  ever  I  saw." 

"Do  say  you  will  go,  Judith,"  the  other  girls 
chorused,  and  Judith  relented.  Into  her  mind 
had  come  a  picture  of  windy  clouds  overhead, 
sunny  fields  embroidered  thickly  with  flowers, 
and  the  scent  of  wild  strawberries  in  the  air.  It 
would  be  very  pleasant  to  be  of  the  party  if 
Tom  Lane  and  his  pretty  sister  were  there  too. 

"I  do  not  pfomise,"  she  said,  "only — I  '11  see 
what  can  be  done." 

"Then  we  '11  buy  a  basket  for  you,"  Geertruy 
said.  "The  wilden  have  brought  one  in  to  order 

67 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

from.  An  you  see  it,  you  '11  never  have  the 
heart  to  keep  it  unused." 

"No,  no!"  Judith  cried  anxiously,  "lay  not  up 
such  expense  for  me.  My  old  basket  is  sound 
and  good.  If  I  go  at  all  it  must  serve  me." 

The  girls  stared  at  her,  quite  astonished. 

"But  you  will  not  look  like  one  of  our  Company 
if  you  carry  a  different  basket,"  Marya  protested, 
"and  truly  the  ribbons  are  to  be  sweetly  pretty." 

"That  cannot  be  helped,"  Judith  said  ob- 
stinately, cutting  her  short.  "If  I  go  at  all,  and 
it  by  no  .means  certain  that  I  can,  my  basket  will 
serve  every  purpose.  Of  course  if  you  would 
rather  I  did  not  come  with  an  old  basket  I  can 
stay  at  home." 

"Nonsense!"  Blandina  protested,  "Come  as  you 
will,  so  that  you  come.  We  cannot  do  without 
you." 

"It  is  still  a  long  way  off,"  Judith  murmured, 
beginning  to  draw  back  a  little  in  her  secret 
thoughts  from  the  idea  of  the  festival. 

"Nay,  now,  we  '11  hear  no  more,"  said  Geertruy 
in  her  bluff  way.  "You  've  said  you  '11  come  and 
we  mean  to  hold  you  to  it,  so  do  not  begin  to  hunt 
for  excuses  so  early.  Make  haste,  juffrouwen. 

68 


JUDITH  IS  CALLED  A  MISER 

We  must  take  our  leave,  nor  hinder  longer  this 
woman  of  affairs." 

With  considerable  chattering  to  hide  a  certain 
constraint  that  had  arisen,  the  young  girls  finally 
departed  and  Judith  went  at  once  into  her  father's 
office  to  take  up  her  study  of  his  bdoks  "and 
papers. 

The  two  Jaspyns  passing  that  side  of  the  house 
on  their  homeward  way,  Blandina  saw  her 
through  the  window-bars  and  waved  to  her. 

"Whom  are  you  saluting?"  Marya  asked, 
looking  to  right  and  left. 

"Only  Judith,"  Blandina  answered,  "but  she 
saw  me  not.  Already  she  had  opened  a  great 
ledger  on  her  father's  desk  and  was  doubtless 
deep  in  figures." 

"I  used  to  think  it  would  be  a  wondrous  thing 
to  awaken  some  morning  and  hear  that  I  had 
been  left  a  great  fortune,"  Marya  said,  "but  now 
that  I  see  what  it  hath  done  to  Judith  I  am  not 
so  sure." 

"What  then  hath  it  done  to  Judith?"  Blandina 
demanded,  bristling,  for  Judith  was  her  chosen 
friend. 

"Oh,"  said  Marya  in  injured  tones,  "I  know 
69  ' 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

well  that  I  am  only  your  sister,  and  must  be  very 
careful  what  I  say  of  your  friend;  but  even  you 
must  admit  that  wealth  hath  greatly  changed 
her." 

"I  think  we  did  wrong  to  so  insist  that  she 
should  fill  her  house  with  dancing  and  gaiety  be- 
fore she  herself  felt  ready,"  Blandina  said.  I 
should  not  have  suggested  it  in  an  ordinary  case, 
but  her  father  scarce  seemed  to  know  that  Judith 
lived.  I  Ve  sat  at  table  with  them  when  he  said 
no  word  save  the  grace." 

"Then  why  should  she  grieve  that  he  is  no 
more?"  asked  Marya  not  unreasonably. 

"Does  she  grieve  at  his  loss  or  perchance  does 
she  grieve  because  she  does  not  grieve  more." 

"Oh,  ivae!"  cried  Marya,  "if  you  must  ask 
riddles  ask  gayer  ones.  As  for  instance  why 
Judith  balked  at  buying  a  new  basket?" 

"That  was  strange,"  Blandina  admitted.  "I 
can  only  think  that  you  dwelt  too  much  on  the 
gay  ribbons,  so  that  she  felt  that  she  would  seem 
heartless  if  she  went  so  tricked  out." 

"Of  course  it  would  be  my  fault!"  Marya  re- 
torted. "You  would  be  sure  to  make  it  out  that 
I  had  injured  her  tender  sensibilities;  but  if  you 

70 


JUDITH  IS  CALLED  A  MISER 

ask  me,  that  is  not  why  she  did  not  want  the 
basket." 

"What  then  was  her  reason?"  Blandina  turned 
and  looked  at  her  sister  with  some  surprise. 
Marya  was  dull  and  slow,  not  apt  to  push  for- 
ward her  opinions;  but  now  she  spoke  as  one 
with  a  secret  to  reveal. 

"I  have  thought  it  all  out,"  she  said  impor- 
tantly. "Like  father  like  child."  She  returned 
Blandina's  gaze  as  if  she  expected  her  to  be  as- 
tounded at  this  weighty  news. 

"What  then?"  Blandina  asked  irritably.  "For 
I  imagine  you  think  you  mean  something." 

"Oh,  wae!"  cried  Marya,  "never  do  you  credit 
me  'with  any  understanding.  What  I  mean  is  so- 
clear  to  me  that  I  thought  one  word  would  set 
your  clever  wits  on  the  track." 

Blandina  said  nothing,  and  the  younger  sister 
went  on  in  a  complaining  tone. 

"Even  you  grant  that  the  Here  Van  Taarl  was 
a  peculiar  man.  Known  to  be  rich,  he  never 
seemed  to  find  enjoyment  in  his  'riches.  He  had 
no  bouwerie,  no  place  on  the  shore  of  Nassau 
Iseland.  He  bought  nothing  new  or  rich  for 
their  house.  It,  and  all  that  is  in  it  of  value, 

71 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

came  down  from  her  mother's  parents,  for 
Judith  herself  told  me  so." 

"What  is  your  meaning?"  asked  Blandina, 
stopping  short  in  her  walk,  "for  I  see  now  that 
you  have  a  meaning." 

"  'T  is  this,"  returned  Marya  crossly,  "if  a 
man  loves  money,  not  for  the  good  things  that  it 
will  buy  him  but  to  hoard  and  keep  it  for  itself, 
we  call  him  a  miser.  The  Here  Van  Taarl,  to  my 
thinking,  was  a  miser;  and  now  that  she  hath 
money  of  her  own,  quantities  of  money,  more 
than  we  could  count,  and  refuseth  to  spend  so 
much  of  it  as  would  buy  her  her  basket  and 
ribbons  for  the  strawberry  festival,  I  think  Judith 
is  like  to  him.  That's  what  I  meant  when  I  said, 
'like  father  like  child.'  Judith  Van  Taarl  is  a 
miser  too." 


CHAPTER  VI 

IN  WHICH  A  BARGAIN  IS  STRUCK  AND 
A    TOKEN    GIVEN 

MEANWHILE,  at  her  father's  desk,  Judith 
was  arriving  at  a  clear  understanding  of 
her  position  as  his  heiress. 

When  the  light  failed  she  lit  a  whale-oil  lamp 
and  toiled  on,  regardless  of  the  shadows  that  used 
to  send  her  twittering  to  Metje  when  she  was 
younger.  Thus  she  had  worked  each  evening 
almost  since  the  day  of  the  Here  Van  Taarl's 
death,  but  now  she  was  reaching  the  end  of  her 
labors  and  it  was  plain  to  her  that  the  commands 
set  upon  her  were  like  to  be  a  net  about  her  feet. 

At  nine  o'clock  Metje  came  to  call  her  to 
supper,  which  they  took  together,  Metje  being 
careful  to  keep  her  own  place  toward  the  foot  of 
the  table. 

The  first  course  was  prunes,  stewed  with  barley 
and  spices.  This  was  followed  by  the  remains 

73 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

of  the  fish  which  they  had  had  for  their  dinner 
at  eleven,  reheated  now  in  a  tasty  sauce  of  Metje's 
concocting.  When  this  was  removed  she  set  nuts 
and  raisins  on  the  table. 

"There  are  no  more  almonds,"  she  explained. 
"You  were  away  or  busy  all  day,  so  I  did  not 
trouble  you  to  buy  them.  You  will  have  only 
kiskitomas  nuts  to-night." 

Judith's  face  had  clouded  as  the  meal  pro- 
gressed. Now,  after  a  little  hesitation,  she  spoke 
what  was  in  her  mind. 

"I  like  well  these  hickory-nuts  which  we  gather 
ourselves,"  she  said.  "I  shall  buy  no  more  al- 
monds which  are  very  costly.  Moreover,  while 
there  was  a  man  in  the  house  whose  great  frame 
called  for  strong  nourishment,  such  heavy  suppers 
were  needful;  but  for  two  females  they  are 
gluttonous,  and  lead  only  to  restless  sleep  and 
nightmares.  From  now  on  let  our  supper  be  of 
bread  and  cheese.  That  should  suffice." 

Metje's  face  showed  her  aversion  to  this  plan 
most  clearly. 

"Nay  now,  meisje"  she  said,  coaxingly,  "none 
can  accuse  you  of  gluttony.  You  but  pick  a  little 
here  and  there  as  if  you  were  a  bird.  And,  as  for 

74 


IN  WHICH  A  BARGAIN  IS  STRUCK 

me,  if  I  am  to  labor  in  the  garden  like  a  man 
this  spring,  surely  will  I  feel  the  need  of  a  man's 
food  to  sustain  me."  This  last  was  a  cunning 
argument.  Metje  held  herself  very  clever  to 
have  thought  of  it. 

"When  you  work  in  the  garden  you  will  have 
salat  to  add  to  your  cheese,  if  you  want  it,"  Judith 
replied;  "but  for  the  really  hard  work  of 
spading  and  cultivating  I  shall  employ  a  laborer 
now  and  then  to  help  us."  To  herself  she  added, 
"His  wage  can  come  out  of  my  money  for  teach- 
ing," but  she  did  not  say  this  aloud. 

"That  at  least  is  good  news,"  Metje  returned, 
"yet  I  like  not  signs  of  parsimony  in  the  young. 
One  so  rich  as  you  should  set  a  rich  table." 

"  'T  is  better  still  that  I  set  a  go'od  example," 
said  Judith,  with  the  ghost  of  a  smile.  "Surely  if 
the  rich  govern  not  their  appetites  't  is  too  much 
to  expect  those  less  well  instructed  to  do  so." 

"  'Tis  useless  for  me  to  measure  tongues  with 
ye,"  said  Metje,  with  some  ill  humor,  "but  I  tell 
you  plainly  that  I  do  not  know  you  these  days. 
You  act  as  if  you  had  lost  a  fortune,  not  inherited 
one." 

"With  money  come  cares  and  responsibilities," 

75 


Judith  rejoined.  ''When  the  wealth  was  my 
father's,  I  never  gave  it  a  thought,  being  satisfied 
that  he  would  speak  his  mind  if  we  spent  too 
lavishly.  Now  that  I  have  no  one  to  govern  me, 
I  must  govern  myself." 

"In  truth,"  Metje  said  snappily,  "it  does  not 
seem  that  you  will  need  to  chide  yourself  withal. 
As  to  your  father,  he  was  so  preyed  on  by  his 
sister-in-law's  wastefulness  that,  once  she  was 
gone,  my  small  accounts  seemed  to  him  miracu- 
lous." 

"You  are  a  wonderful  manager,  Metje;  that  I 
know,"  Judith  returned  soothingly.  "There  is 
no  better  in  all  the  settlements;  so,  for  yourself, 
you  shall  have  all  that  you  crave.  But  for  my 
part  I  shall  henceforth  eat  naught  but  bread  and 
cheese." 

"That  indeed  would  be  a  pretty  sight,"  Metje 
scoffed,  not  at  all  appeased.  "Me,  seated  below 
the  salt,  feasting  on  delicacies ;  while  you,  at  the 
top  of  the  table,  live  on  prison  fare.  I  think  I 
see  myself  cooking  crabs  writh  walnuts  for  Metje, 
medlars  with  sweet  butter  and  green  ginger  for 
Metje,  pasties  for  Metje — " 

"Then    save    such    dainties    for    feast-days," 


Judith  laughed,  "and  now  let  us  hasten  to  wash 
up  or  it  will  be  ten  o'clock  and  the  clearing  clock 
will  ring  ere  we  are  ready  for  bed." 

Fortunately  for  all  concerned,  Metje  had  been 
greatly  taken  with  Nan  Homan  and  joyfully 
accepted  her  daily  visits,  glad  of  anything  that 
drew  Judith  from  poring  over  her  father's  ledgers 
and  account-books.  Once  her  own  mistress,  the 
girl  had  wasted  no  time  in  making  arrangements 
to  sell  the  contents  of  the  storehouse.  Vendue 
criers  were  engaged  to  cry  the  news  through  the 
town  and  Judith  felt  that  when  the  sale  was  over 
she  would  be  rid  of  considerable  responsibility; 
for  there  were  furs,  woolens,  'and  blankets  among 
the  goods,  and  the  season  was  coming  when 
moth  would  have  to  be  guarded  against  if  these 
were  not  disposed  of. 

Nan  and  she  were  at  lessons  one  morning  when 
a  click  of  the  gate-latch  and  a  furious  rush 
by  Krumm,  who  had  been  promoted  to  a  position 
of  trust  and  no  longer  was  chained,  brought  both 
girls  to  the  rescue  of  a  visitor. 

This  was  a  little  man  whose  curled  black  beard 
and  hair  proclaimed  him  for  the  Jew  he  was. 

77 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

He  had  been  driven  back  against  the  gate  by 
Krumm's  onslaught  and  stood  there  dazed,  hat 
in  hand. 

"  'T  is  here  the  vendue  is  to  be  held?"  he  asked 
in  a  trembling  voice,  when  the  dog  had  been 
called  off.  "At  the  Sign  of  the  Barrow  and 
Bale?"  For  as  was  usual  Van  Taarl's  place  of 
business  was  known  by  the  name  of  its  sign 
rather  than  that  of  its  owner. 

"Yes,"  Judith  replied,  "but  the  goods  are  not  to 
be  shown  until  the  day  before  the  sale." 

"A  vendue  is  a  game  of  chance  for  the  seller  as 
well  as  for  the  buyer,"  said  the  Portuguese.  "Do 
you  wish  to  try  your  luck?" 

"I  wish  only  to  be  rid,  at  a  fair  price,  of  a  busi- 
ness that  I  am  not  trained  to  conduct,"  Judith 
replied. 

"Then  show  me  your  goods.  It  may  happen 
that  I  will  buy." 

Judith  hesitated,  her  glance  taking  in  the 
threadbare  coat  -and  faded  hat  of  her  visitor. 
Yet  there  was  something  kindly  in  the  face  of  the 
little  man  that  drew  her  to  him  in  spite  of  herself. 

"The  conditions  of  this  sale  are  unusual,"  she 
faltered.  "I  cannot  take  beavers  or  sea  want  or 

78 


IN  WHICH  A  BARGAIN  IS  STRUCK 

any  commodity.     I  must  have  -coin    in    hand." 

"That  even  might  be  arranged,"  the  Jew  said, 
"though  I  am  a  poor  man,  according  to  my  reck- 
oning." 

"Go  you  back  to  your  work,  Nan,"  Judith  told 
the  child.  "Write  the  copy  I  set  you,  'Industry 
rewardeth  self/  twenty  times.  When  that  is 
finished  Nurse  Katy  will  be  here  to  fetch  you." 
Then  she  turned  again  to  her  visitor.  "Pray 
follow  me.  I  will  show  you  the  inventory  and 
such  of  the  goods  as  you  desire  to  see  and  handle. 
All  are  warranted  to  be  new,  unused,  and  in  the 
best  of  condition." 

The  lightning  rapidity  with  which  the  little 
man  made  himself  master  of  the  contents  of  the 
shop  took  Judith's  breath  away. 

"These  were  a  good  bargain,"  he  said,  finger- 
ing some  rolls  of  lord's  serge.  They  came  by 
the  Rose  of  Guelderland  and  your  father  gave 
no  more  than  half  what  one  must  pay  to-day  in 
the  open  market."  He  made  some  figures  on  a 
tablet  he  carried.  "These  fire-irons  are  from 
England  by  the  swift  Sea-horse,  and  are  in  need 
•of  grease.  The  Bourse  of  Amsterdam,  a  lumber- 
ing ship,  brought  this  velvet  which  is  not  quite 

79 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

perfect  so  that  it  must  go  cheap  under  the 
hammer.  You  will  find  that  the  pile  is  unevenly 
shorn  near  the  selvage." 

Judith  examined  and  found  the  defect  he  had 
mentioned,  although  she  had  not  observed  it  be- 
fore. 

"It  is  true  that  these  goods  came  upon  the  ships 
you  have  named,  but  how  knew  you  that?  I 
did  n't  tell  you." 

"There  was  no  need,"  the  man  murmured  in 
his  beard.  "Such  things  have  faces  for  me. 
Once  I  see  them  I  know  them  again.  There  is 
scarce  one  article  in  all  this  storehouse  on  which 
I  cannot  fix  the  price  he  paid  and  what  the  Here 
Van  Taarl  was  ready  to  sell  for." 

"  'T  is  marvelous,"  said  Judith  in  honest  ad- 
miration. "I  asked  my  father  was  it  his  wish 
that  I  should  keep  the  store,  and  I  confess  myself 
hurt  that  he  did  not  hold  me  capable,  yet  now  I 
see  that  he  was  wise  and  right.  I  have  studied 
the  books  and  the  labels  on  each  article,  only  to 
forget  next  day  what  I  had  so  painfully  acquired. 
To  me,  one  piece  of  velvet  differs  from  another 
only  in  color,  yet  I  know  that  there  are  vastly 
different  prices  entered  against  them  in  the  lists. 

80 


IN  WHICH  A  BARGAIN  IS  STRUCK 

Must  all  who  would  prosper  in  trade  have  knowl- 
edge like  to  yours?" 

"There  be  others  who  have  seeing  eyes,"  the 
little  man  explained.  "My  brother  Asser  can  tell 
the  weight,  the  flaws,  if  any,  and  the  true  value 
of  any  jewel  he  hath  once  held  in  his  hand.  My 
cousin  David  is  a  judge  of  pictures,  lacs  and 
curios.  I  know  only  a  little  of  such  things,  but 
in  dealing  with  the  ordinary  goods  I,  Salvador 
Dacosta,  can  hold  my  own." 

He  turned  again  to  his  work  of  appraisal,  and 
Judith,  watching  him  in  amazement,  observed 
how  deft  and  gentle  and  how  well-kept  were  his 
long,  slim-fingered  hands.  These  seemed  to 
serve  him  as  an  extra  pair  of  eyes,  for  if  they  but 
touched  an  object  he  was  satisfied  and  entered  a 
note  of  it  on  his  tablets  without  once  stopping  to 
look  further ;  and  in  a  surprisingly  short  time  he 
professed  himself  satisfied. 

"Here  are  my  figures,"  he  said.  "I  show  them 
to  you  freely.  Salvador  Dacosta  is  no  robber 
of  the  orphan.  In  this  column  is  what  your 
father  paid.  In  the  other  column  is  what  he  ex- 
pected to  receive.  Perchance  at  private  sale,  in 
a  period  of  a  year,  you  might  realize  so  much 

81 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

money;  but  your  need  of  haste  is  more  urgent 
than  you  know.  I  will  give  you  a  sum  midway 
between  the  two  figures,  saving  you  the  cost  of 
the  vendue  and  the  sack  that  must  flow  to  put 
people  in  a  buying  mood.  That  would  be  a  great 
expense,  so  what  say  you?" 

"I  know  not  what  to  say,  save  'Thank  you,' ' 
Judith  faltered.  Indeed  the  amount  named  was 
generous,  more  than  she  had  dared  count  on  from 
the  auction;  yet,  even  while  she  spoke,  her  heart 
misgave  her  lest  in  some  way  this  strange  Portu- 
guese was  plotting  to  overreach  her ;  and  the  man 
read  her  thoughts  and  answered  them  with  true 
dignity. 

"My  child,"  he  said,  "your  eyes  are  wells  of 
truth  that  tell  what  passeth  in  your  mind.  With- 
out doubt  I  am  a  Jew,  but  I  am  an  honest  Jew. 
I  have  no  need  to  take  one  stuyver  that  is  not  law- 
fully mine.  Therefore  I  say  to  you  that  if  you 
agree  to  accept  my  offer — and  trust  me  it  is  best 
you  should — I  will  pay  you  within  the  hour  in 
gold,  and  will  take  from  this  house  no  piece  of 
goods  until  you  have  placed  the  gold  in  the  safe- 
keeping of  some  true  man  of  this  town — Mijn- 
here  van  Cortlandt  or  some  one  else  of  solid 

82 


IN  WHICH  A  BARGAIN  IS  STRUCK 

worth — and  he  has  declared  that  you  may  rest 
satisfied." 

"Forgive  me  that  I  distrusted  you,"  Judith 
said  impulsively,  not  attempting  to  deny  her 
guilt,  "but  in  sooth  I  think  it  is  not  so  much  you 
I  distrusted  as  myself.  I  see  myself  so  unequal 
to  the  great  task  imposed  upon  me/' 

"You  will  be  equal  to  your  trust,"  Dacosta 
declared  positively.  "In  the  end  you  will  pre- 
vail, for  your  motives  are  worthy  of  all  praise. 
Now  after  this  bargain  there  are  two  things  I 
ask  you  to  remember  and  one  to  forget." 

Judith  looked  her  astonishment  and  the  strange 
man  went  on. 

"First,  remember  that  there  are  in  this  world 
two  sorts  of  fools.  One  who  pays  too  late  and 
one  who  pays  too  soon.  Let  nothing  tempt  you 
to  be  one  of  the  latter.  Second,  remember,  should 
you  need  help,  that  this,  sent  to  David  Cohen  at 
the  City  Tavern  near  the  ferry,  may  avail  some- 
thing." 

He  picked  out  of  a  box  on  the  shelf  as  he  spoke 
a  carved  mother-of-pearl  fish  such  as  were 
commonly  used  as  counters  in  many  childish 
games.  This  he  pressed  into  her  hand.  "And 

83 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

lastly,  and  this  mayhap  is  most  important  of  all, 
forget  for  the  present  that  you  ever  saw  Salvador 
Dacosta  or  so  much  as  heard  his  name." 

"But  who  shall  I  say  bought  this  great  stock?" 
Judith  looked  about  her,  bewildered. 

"The  man  who  brings  you  the  gold  will  give 
a  name,"  he  said  carelessly,  "for  all  you  know  I 
may  be  acting  for  another.  And  now,  farewell. 
If  you  do  not  scorn  a  Jew's  blessing  it  is  yours, 
for  the  worth  of  a  dutiful  child  is  above  rubies." 

The  Portuguese  threw  open  the  shop  door  and 
passed  out  that  way,  without  again  going  into 
the  house,  and  thus  it  happened  that  Metje  did 
not  see  him ;  for  she  had  gone  a-marketing  when 
he  arrived,  and  with  Metje  the  business  of 
marketing  was  never  entered  upon  lightly. 

Alone  in  the  shop  Judith  looked  about  her 
almost  regretfully.  During  her  father's  life- 
time she  had  rarely  crossed  its  threshold.  Since 
the  responsibilities  attendant  upon  her  inheri- 
tance had  rested  heavy  upon  her  shoulders  she 
had  spent  many  toilsome  hours  there  and  in  the 
small  office  that  opened  off  it,  and  she  felt  a  sud- 
den and  most  unexpected  pang  at  giving  it  up. 

She  went  into  the  office  and,  laying  the  carved 


IN  WHICH  A  BARGAIN  IS  STRUCK 

fish  in  a  tray  with  some  dry  and  crumbling  wa- 
fers, and  mechanically  turning  over  the  hour- 
glass, she  seated  herself  at  the  desk,  staring  at  the 
shelf  of  books  and  packets  of  paper  tied  with 
green  tape  as  if  she  had  never  before  seen  them. 
What  did  the  strange  Jew  mean  by  the  things  he 
had  said  to  her?  Almost  they  sounded  as  if  he 
knew  what  she  believed  buried  in  her  own  heart. 
Indeed  he  had  hinted  at  a  knowledge  greater  than 
hers,  and  that  he  had  read  her  very  thoughts  in 
a  way  that  seemed  supernatural  there  was  no 
denying. 

The  familiar  surroundings  faded  away.  She 
no  longer  saw  the  rolls  of  tobacco,  the  shears  and 
chopper,  the  string  of  bills,  the  painted  money- 
chest  with  its  carved  legs,  the  basket  of  long 
Gouda  pipes,  the  quills  for  pens,  or  the  sand- 
shaker  for  drying  the  ink. 

Instead  the  face  of  the  Jew  was  before  her, 
and  she  seemed  to  hear  his  voice  saying,  "Your 
need  of  haste  is  more  urgent  than  you  know." 

How  long  she  had  been  there  she  could  not 
have  said.  It  was  Metje's  insistent  calling  that 
brought  her  to  herself. 

"I  knew  not  where  to  look  for  you,"  the  woman 

85 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

said,  -bustling  in.  "I  thought  it  might  be  that 
you  had  walked  out  to  fetch  Nan  again.  There's 
a  strange  man  at  the  kitchen  door  who  demands 
speech  with  you.  I  shall  not  leave  you  alone 
with  him.  He  is  clearly  mad;  but  if  he  seems 
dangerous  forget  not  to  call  Krumm  to  defend 
us.  I  will  purposely  set  the  door  ajar  so  that 
we  can  slip  back  within  the  house." 

"Nay,  then,"  Judith  protested,  not  a  little 
startled,  "what  makes  you  think  this  poor  creature 
is  crazed?  And  if  he  is  why  must  I  talk  with 
him?" 

"What  else  can  I  think?"  Metje  asked.  "He 
hath  two  great  bags  which  he  swear's  are  full  of 
gold  and  says  he  hath  bought  the  whole  store- 
house out  from  top  shelf  to  floor.  He  vows  that 
not  so  much  as  a  reel  of  thread  remains  to  you." 

"What  name  doth  he  give?"  The  girl  was 
naturally  curious  on  this  point. 

"Smathers,  the  silly  says  he 's  called,  and  he 
plans  to  take  the  goods  by  ship  to  the  South 
River.  For  a  minute  he  spoke  so  reasonable  I 
almost  thought  him  in  his  senses." 

"He  is,"  said  Judith,  slipping  down  from  the 
86 


IN  WHICH  A  BARGAIN  IS  STRUCK 

high  stool  on  which  she  was  perched.  "I  wonder 
if  he  will  help  me  carry  the  gold  to  the  Here  van 
Bursum's." 


CHAPTER  VII 

IN  WHICH  MUCH  GOLD  CHANGETH  HANDS 

JOB    SMATHERS    proved    to    be    Salvador 
Dacosta's  emissary,  as  Judith  had  guessed. 

"The  money  is  here  to  the  uttermost  farthing," 
he  said.  "Even  has  it  been  sorted  out  in  English 
gold  to  be  the  readier  for  your  use.  'T  is  in 
bags  of  a  hundred  undipped  pieces,  and  't  is 
my  belief,  so  careful  has  been  the  count,  that 
you  will  find  not  so  much  as  one  pistole,  nor  one 
doubloon,  to  give  rise  to  a  question.  By  your 
leave  I  will  sit  while  you  look  it  through." 

"Is  .all  that  gold?"  Metje  asked,  her  eyes  pop- 
ping. "Your  very  own?  And  yet  you  wish  to 
eat  naught  but  bread  and  cheese  for  supper?" 

"I  have  no  intention  of  keeping  the  gold  here," 
Judith  explained  to  the  man,  ignoring  Metje's 
complaint.  "I  purpose  to  leave  it  in  the  charge 
of  the  Here  van  Bursum  if  you  will  consent  to 
carry  it  thither  for  me." 

88 


"Nay,  miss/'  Smathers  returned,  "I  beg  you  to 
hold  me  excused.  I  am  no  bravo  ready  to  die 
in  defense  of  this  fortune,  which  is  yours  and 
not  mine,  if  you  take  my  meaning.  I  Ve  been 
followed  on  my  way  here  by  several  naughty- 
looking  fellows,  and  I  am  greatly  relieved  to 
complete  my  errand  without  ill  hap.  The  gold 
now  is  yours.  Count  it  or  not  as  best  suits  you. 
My  only  remaining  business  with  you  is  to  get 
your  signature  to  this  satisfaction,  when  I  will  in 
good  time  begin  the  removal  of  the  stores." 

"There 's  no  necessity  to  count  the  gold," 
Judith  said  hesitatingly.  "I  am  well  aware 
there  is  no  intent  to  cheat  me." 

"Not  count  the  gold!"  exclaimed  Metje,  scan- 
dalized. "A  fine  business  woman,  you.  Give  it 
to  me,  then.  I  '11  count  it.  Never  before,  nor  in 
my  lifetime  again  I  dare  swear,  will  I  see  such 
a  lot  of  precious  metal."  She  lifted  the  big  bags 
that  contained  the  smaller  ones,  with  a  grunt  at 
their  weight,  and  went  inside  with  them. 

"Will  naught  persuade  you  to  accompany  me 
to  the  Here  van  Bursum's?"  Judith  asked. 
"  'T  is  but  a  short  distance.  I  cannot  think  there 
is  danger  from  foot-pads,  but,  on  the  other  hand, 

89 


the  bags  are  heavy  and  I  could  scarce  manage 
them  alone." 

"My  errand  is  done,"  Smathers  said,  shaking 
his  head  with  true  English  stubbornness.  "I 
shall  not  tempt  fortune  a  second  time.  Who  can 
say  that  if  we  were  set  on  and  robbed  I  might  not 
be  accused  of  standing  in  with  the  robbers? 
'You  've  got  your  gold.  'T  is  for  you  to  guard 
it  now." 

Judith  saw  that  nothing  would  move  the  man 
and  gave  over  the  attempt.  But,  if  his  tale  was 
true  and  he  had  been  followed  to  her  house,  she 
felt  that  it  was  no  place  to  keep  her  money,  nor 
did  she  like  the  idea  of  walking  the  streets  with 
it  unprotected. 

She  slipped  down  the  path  to  the  gate,  for  once 
without  a  thought  of  her  flowers.  She  was  pon- 
dering in  her  mind  where  she  could  ask  for  help 
when  she  saw  Nan,  attended  by  her  nurse,  return- 
ing from  her  dinner.  Here  at  least  was  a  trusty 
messenger,  and  she  hailed  the  child  with  even 
more  than  her  usual  delight. 

"I  want  you  to  go  an  errand  for  me,"  she 
explained  at  once,  "yet  I  know  not  quite  where 

90 


MUCH  GOLD  CHANGETH  HANDS 

to  send  you.  I  need  help."  In  a  few  words  she 
explained  the  situation  and  Job  Smather's  fears. 

"Nay,  then,"  said  Kate  shrewdly,  "methinks 
this  man  is  too  anxious  to  establish  his  innocence 
before  he  hath  been  doubted.  If  you  ask  me,  I 
believe  he  himself  plans  to  recover  the  gold  from 
your  messenger." 

"I  could  send  for  some  of  my  Company," 
Judith  suggested,  ignoring  Kate's  remark,  her 
mind  still  intent  on  securing  an  escort  for  the 
money.  "The  Jaspyns,  Wouter  or  Piet,  or  the 
Varrevangers ;  but  they  are  all  scarce  more  than 
lads." 

"I  have  a  friend."  Nan  spoke  eagerly.  "A 
man  of  mighty  deeds.  His  name  is  Robin 
Marrow." 

Nurse  Kate  snorted. 

"  'T  is  a  strong  man  and  a  doughty  I  'll  not 
deny,  but  scarce  one — " 

"I  know  what  is  in  your  mind  to  say,"  Nan 
turned  upon  her  nurse,  stamping  her  foot  in  a 
passion  of  indignation.  "Were  this  treasure 
mine,  I  would  entrust  it  to  his  sole  keeping  to 
prove  how  you  misjudge  him;  but  now  my  idea 

91 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

is  that  another  must  be  found  to  carry  the  bag, 
and  I  will  instruct  Robin  that  he  is  to  guard  this 
messenger  with  his  life." 

Judith  looked  at  Kate,  who  nodded  her  consent 
to  this. 

"Robin  will  do  naught  to  anger  her"  she 
acknowledged.  "He  is  my  brother,  miss,  and  I 
live  in  fear  of  his  backsliding.  He  was  once  a 
bloody  pirate,"  she  added  in  so  low  a  tone  that 
Nan  at  the  gate,  waving  her  kerchief  frantically 
to  some  one  she  saw  in  the  distance,  did  not  over- 
hear her  words. 

"Here  comes  the  very  one  of  all  others  best 
fitted  to  help  us,"  the  child  cried  complacently. 
"  'T  is  Tom  Lane,  earlier  than  is  his  wont."  For 
in  truth  Tom  had  developed  what  might  almost 
be  called  a  habit  of  dropping  in  and  interrupting 
the  lesson  at  some  time  in  the  afternoon. 

"Oh,"  said  Judith,  "tell  him  nothing  of  this 
case,  Nan.  I  have  no  claim  on  Master  Lane  such 
as  one  hath  on  the  young  men  of  her  own 
Company.  I  could  not  ask  him  to  run  a  risk  on 
my  account." 

"There  will  be  no  risk,"  Nan  rejoined.  "Robin 
is  as  good  as  ten  men  in  a  fight.  He  hath  told 

92 


MUCH  GOLD  CHANGETH  HANDS 

me  so  himself,  in  all  modesty.  I  '11  bid  him  take 
care  of  Tom." 

"Will  I  then  need  taking  care  of  ?"  Tom's  sharp 
ears  had  warned  him  that  he  was  under  discussion 
even  before  he  had  crossed  the  stepping-stones 
of  the  gutter.  "What  adventure  are  you  embark- 
ing me  on  now?" 

The  tale  had  to  be  told  over  again  from  the 
beginning,  and  for  the  moment  Tom  was  young 
enough  to  be  carried  away  with  enthusiasm  at 
the  prospect  of  a  tussle ;  but,  when  Nan  had  gone 
with  Nurse  Kate  to  seek  Robin,  there  was  time 
for  his  English  caution  to  cool  his  ardor. 

"Who  is  this  Robin?"  he  asked,  knitting  his 
brows.  "After  all,  this  is  -a  serious  trust.  I 
must  make  sure  that  I  am  not  carrying  your 
fortune  into  deeper  danger  than  it  would  be  here 
in  your  father's  strong  box." 

"Robin  is  a  pirate,  a  reformed  one,  I  gather," 
Judith  replied,  "and  in  truth  I  like  not  the  idea  of 
rushing  you  into  peril  on  my  account.  Some  of 
the  lads  of  my  own  Company — " 

"In  that  case,"  Tom  suggested  jealously, 
"there  is  no  reason  for  favoring  others  of  them 
above  me.  My  sister  and  I  have  joined  your 

93 


Company  even  to-day.  'T  is  that  I  Ve  come  to 
tell  you." 

Before  Judith  could  reply  suitably  to  this  an- 
nouncement, Tom  went  on : 

"Yet  am  I  not  satisfied  to  run  risks  with  your 
money.  I  must  think  of  •a.  plan.  But  first  let  us 
be  rid  of  this  Job  Smathers,  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible." 

They  went  up  the  path  together  where,  finding 
Smathers  patiently  waiting  on  the  kitchen  stoep, 
Judith  called  in  to  Metje  to  bid  her  hasten  the 
count. 

"Seventy-seven,  seventy-eight, — speak  not  to 
me  lest  you  put  me  out, — seventy-nine,  eighty — " 
Metje's  voice  droned  on.  "Meisje,  I  have  handled 
every  guinea  here.  How  many  should  there  be  ?" 

Judith,  not  wishing  to  publish  her  wealth 
abroad,  ran  into  the  house  to  return  in  a  moment 
with  a  signed  receipt. 

"Metje  says  the  count  is  correct.  Do  you 
purpose  removing  the  goods  to-day?" 

"All  that  we  can,"  Smathers  answered  briskly. 

"Then  here  is  the  key  to  the  storehouse,"  Judith 
told  him.  "I  '11  set  the  bars  to  the  inner  doors, 
and  you  will  be  free  to  come  and  go  by  the  shop 

94 


MUCH  GOLD  CHANGETH  HANDS 

entrance  as  you  see  fit.  When  all  is  removed,  an 
you  will  hang  the  key  on  the  hook  near  the  door 
I  will  see  to  it  that  the  place  is  properly  closed 
once  more ;  but  from  now*  on  the  goods  are  yours 
to  care  for." 

"And  have  you  found  a  messenger  to  carry 
your  gold?"  Smathers  inquired  a  trifle  eagerly, 
looking  Tom  over  the  while. 

"You  had  the  chance  to  be  of  service,"  Judith 
told  him  coldly.  "You  refused,  and  so  are  rid 
of  all  responsibility.  I  bid  you  good  day." 

"There 's  no  hard  feeling,  missy,"  Smathers 
muttered  as  he  folded  the  receipt  and  stuck  it  in 
his  cap-band  for  safe-keeping;  then  he  slouched 
down  the  path  and  out  of  the  gate  closely  followed 
by  Krumm,  who  was  not  content  until  he  saw  the 
man  clear  of  the  premises. 

"Krumm  did  not  trust  him,"  Judith  declared, 
fondling  the  hound.  "He  never  left  him  for  a 
moment,  not  even  to  welcome  Nan  or  you,  whom 
he  counts  his  friends." 

"I  like  the  man  no  better,"  Tom  said  shortly. 

"Nurse  Kate  thinks  that,  having  paid  over 
the  money,  he  now  plans  to  seize  it  again,"  Judith 
suggested. 

95 


"A  good  stroke  of  business  for  a  villain,"  Tom 
agreed.  "So  he  would  have  both  goods  and 
gold.  That  confirms  me  in  my  plan.  We  must 
trick  him,  and  this  is  what  I  propose.  We  will 
empty  these  bags  and  fill  them  again  with  some- 
thing sufficiently  heavy  to  fool  thieves  and  Nan's 
Robin  as  well.  Then,  if  he  should  turn  on  me, 
he  shall  have  the  spoil  after  just  enough  of  a 
fight  to  satisfy  him,  and  the  same  with  thieves. 
We  will  punish  them  a  little  and  let  them  escape. 
They  will  not  stop  to  examine  their  booty  until 
they  are  safe  from  pursuit;  meanwhile  you  can 
hide  the  gold  here  without  risk,  and  later  I  will 
return  for  it." 

"That  sounds  like  a  wise  plan."  Metje  already 
was  looking  hither  and  yon  for  things  to  fill  the 
bags  with. 

"I  know  what  we  need,"  cried  Judith  excitedly, 
entering  into  the  spirit  of  the  venture.  "Those 
bags  of  leaden  disks  in  the  garret.  Fetch  them, 
Metje.  I  had  meant  to  take  them  to  the  store- 
house but  clean  forgot  them." 

"Better  yet,  I  '11  carry  the  bags  to  the  billets," 
Metje  replied,  "while  you  two  hide  away  the  gold. 
It  can  go  on  the  steps  in  the  chimney." 

96 


MUCH  GOLD  CHANGETH  HANDS 

'T  is  the  first  place  any  one  would  look," 
Judith  said  discontentedly.  "Nay,  the  pickle- 
barrel  is  empty  since  last  week.  I  '11  pack  the 
gold  in  there." 

No  sooner  said  than  done,  and  when  Metje 
returned  with  her  burden  she  found  the  two  young 
people  going  the  round  of  the  flower-beds  as  if 
nothing  unusual  were  afoot. 

"Here,"  said  Judith  pointing,  "is  where  all  my 
hopes  are  centered.  Scarce  can  I  wait  for  spring 
to  see  their  leaves  come  up.  You  know  how  much 
the  Dutch  love  flowers  and  how  they  prize  the 
tulip  above  all  others  ?  Well,  this  is  a  tulip  such 
as  was  never  seen  before.  I  hold  it  to  be  a  sport, 
for  it  came  up  among  these  Semper  Augustus- 
plants  which  it  in  no  way  resembles.  Should 
these  bulbs  here  come  true  I  can  sell  them  to  one  of 
the  great  growers  in  Holland  for  thousands  of 
guilders." 

Tom  looked  at  her  in  sudden  surprise.  Within 
the  house  was  such  a  store  of  gold  that  it  had  be- 
come a  danger,  yet  Judith  was  talking  eagerly  as 
if  she  coveted  more.  He  had  little  time  to  ponder 
this  thought  when  Nan  hailed  him  from  without 
the  gate. 

97 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"Here  he  is!"  she  cried  triumphantly.  "This 
is  my  friend  Robin.  He  says  he  's  as  ready  as 
another  for  a  little  fun  and  will  love  the  lad  who 
leads  him  to  it." 

"Heaven  send  't  is  not  the  beginning  of  another 
unlawful  outbreak,"  Nurse  Kate  murmured 
piously,  Tolling  her  eyes  toward  the  skies. 
"Robin  is  my  brother,  never  will  I  deny  him ;  yet 
it  would  pleasure  me  greatly  if  he  found  joyance 
in  gentler  ways." 

"Thou  wouldst  have  me  take  to  lace-making  and 
go  bird's-nesting  when  I  felt  adventurous," 
Robin  laughed  as  he  swaggered  through  the  gate. 
He  was  a  broad  man,  and,  being  in  his  forties, 
seemed  old  to  Tom ;  but  there  was  still  a  flash  of 
white  teeth  under  his  black  mustache  and  a  glint 
of  humor  in  his  clear  brown  eyes.  In  one  ear  he 
wore  a  gold  ring  from  wrhich  a  large  emerald 
swung,  and  he  was  clad  in  a  sleeveless  blue  jacket 
which  showed  his  shirt-sleeves  of  white  silk  rolled 
above  his  elbows  to  free  his  powerful  arms. 
Around  his  middle  was  a  leathern  apron,  one  end 
of  which  was  tucked  into  a  red  silk  belt  having  a 
rich  gold  clasp.  Short  breeches,  fringed,  over 


MUCH  GOLD  CHANGETH  HANDS 

gray  wool  stockings  and  rosetted  shoes  of  brown 
Spanish  leather,  -composed  a  costume  sufficiently 
incongruous  to  have  attracted  attention  anywhere 
except  within  the  town  of  New  Yorke.  He  was 
whittling  at  a  great  staff  as  he  entered,  his  knife 
being  a  dagger  with  a  gold-inlaid  blade  and  a 
jeweled  hilt.  He  wore  no  cap  nor  hat,  and  he 
knuckled  his  brow  politely  at  sight  of  Judith. 

"Man  of  mischief  though  I  be  in  my  sister's 
eyes,"  he  said,  meeting  the  girl's  appraising  gaze 
freely  and  without  embarrassment,  "I  will  serve 
you  fairly  in  this  matter,  were  it  only  for  my  little 
friend's  sake." 

As  he  spoke  he  'had  laid  hold  on  Krumm  and 
fondled  him  unthinkingly,  and  Judith's  heart  went 
out  to  him.  This  was  not  her  idea  of  a  bloody 
pirate. 

"I  know  you  will,"  she  said  impulsively,  while 
Nan  danced  for  joy  to  see  her  friends  so  friendly. 

Tom  also  had  suffered  a  change  of  heart  at 
sight  of  Robin.  Pirate  this  man  might  have  been, 
but  most  assuredly  he  was  not  one  to  stick  a 
dagger  in  a  comrade's  back.  Now  he  determined 
to  tell  him  all  of  the  plan  instead  of  half  of  it. 

99 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

Robin  heard  him  with  a  thoughtful  brow  and 
signified  his  approval  with  a  great  roar  of 
laughter. 

"  'T  is  the  strategy  of  a  great  soldier,''  he  cried. 
"We  could  win  through  with  the  gold,  but  in  doing 
so  blood  might  be  spilt  and — and  I  care  not  to 
call  myself  to  the  minds  of  the  authorities." 

"I  would  not  have  you  run  into  danger  on  my 
account,"  said  Judith  anxiously. 

Again  Robin  laughed. 

"In  an  affray  of  this  kind,  where  there  is  no 
fear  there  is  no  danger."  He  sheathed  his  dagger 
and  flourished  his  staff  in  his  hand.  "If  you 
know  aught  of  single-stick,  sir,  we  '11  give  these 
knaves  a  drubbing  they  will  long  remember." 

"Then  think  you  we  are  right  in  our  surmises?" 

"That  there  is  a  plan  to  take  back  the  purchase 
money  ?  Aye,  that  I  do !  'T  is  too  usual  a  strat- 
agem to  be  called  in  question.  I  could  tell 
tales — "  He  interrupted  himself  and  went  on. 
"The  only  puzzle  is  how  we  can  make  the  capture 
of  the  gold  plausible." 

Once  more  Robin  knit  his  brow  in  troubled 
thought ;  then  his  face  cleared.  "I  have  it !  You, 
sir,  shall  pretend  a  hurt  and  I  will  stand  by  to 

100 


MUCH  GOLD  CHANGETH  HANDS 

guard  you.  And  now  let 's  be  off.  For  so  long 
have  I  been  tied  by  promises  to  my  sister's  apron 
that  I  can  scarce  wait  for  the  fun  that  is  before 
us." 

"First  I  must  find  a  good  stout  stick,"  Tom 
suggested. 

"Master  had  staffs  enow,"  Metje  volunteered, 
and  went  within.  She  returned  in  a  moment 
carrying  also  a  long  huik.  "I  too  have  had  a 
thought  in  this  matter,"  she  said.  "They  expect 
to  see  our  Meisje  here  carrying  part  of  the  gold. 
Would  it  not  be  well  if  you  put  this  on  and  be- 
fooled them  into  thinking  she  was  on  the  road 
with  it?"  Invitingly  she  held  out  the  cloak  to 
Tom,  who  was  just  young  enough  to  dislike  the 
thought  of  going  tricked  out  as  a  maid  and  so 
shrank  back  with  marked  distaste. 

"Smathers  will  know  me  again,"  he  said.  "He 
looked  me  over  well  so  that  there  should  be  no 
mistake." 

"I  '11  wear  it,"  Robin  offered  eagerly,  with  his 
great  roar  of  laughter.  "Faith,  I  'm  a  thought 
large ;  but  I  '11  go  mincingly.  See  to  it  that  you 
give  me  a  polite  hand  in  crossing  the  kennel." 

He  pulled  the  hood  over  his  head,  hid  his  staff 
101 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

in  the  folds  of  his  mantle,  and  picked  up  one  of 
the  bags  of  metal. 

"This  is  so  heavy  it  might  be  used  as  a 
weapon,"  he  said,  with  a  whistle.  "But  we  must 
fight  delicately  in  order  to  disable  no  one." 

"Go  out  by  the  back,"  Judith  suggested,  "  't  is 
thus  I  would  go  were  I  wishful  to  be  unobserved, 
and,  if  things  are  as  we  think,  a  watch  will  be  set 
there  beyond  a  doubt." 

"Moreover,"  Metje  put  in,  a  shade  of  trucu- 
lence  in  her  tones,  "  't  is  that  way  is  the  loneliest. 
Along  the  back  of  the  garden  you  may  have  a 
peaceful  fight  without  fear  of  interruption." 

"Spoken  like  a  wench  after  my  own  heart!" 
Robin  exclaimed,  with  a  piercing  glance  at  Metje, 
who  reddened  with  embarrassment  at  his  praise. 

"O  Metje!"  cried  Nan,  greatly  enjoying 
Rdbin's  masquerade,  "you  're  neglectful  of  your 
mistress.  You  should  carry  her  burden  to  the 
gate,  at  least." 

"In  sooth  't  is  over-heavy  for  my  delicate 
strength."  Robin  tried  to  imitate  a  fine  la,dy. 
"To  the  corner  I  think  you  should  accompany  me. 
I  trust  you  have  my  smelling-salts  at  hand." 

"Go  you  into  the  house,  Judith!"  Nan  ex- 
1 02 


MUCH  GOLD  CHANGETH  HANDS 

claimed,  dancing  with  excitement.  "Should  you 
be  seen,  there  will  be  no  deception  as  to  who  is  hid 
by  that  huik." 

In  a  great  bustle  she  and  Nurse  Kate  escorted 
the  adventurous  party  to  the  back  gate  and  there 
bade  them  farewell.  But  Metje  had  not  re- 
turned, and  they  had  scarce  reached  the  house, 
when  a  loud  outcry  warned  them  that  the  fray 
had  begun. 


103 


CHAPTER    VIII 

IN  WHICH  A  BATTLE  IS  FOUGHT  AND 
A  VICTORY  IS  WON 

WITH  the  battle  opened  Judith  saw  no 
reason  for  hiding  and  ran  with  the  others 
to  the  gate,  where  they  heard  the  rattle  of  many 
stout  blows  ere  the  sound  of  the  fray  died  out. 

Even  then  no  one  returned,  and  Judith's  anxiety 
grew  apace. 

"I  shall  go  as  far  as  the  corner,"  she  declared, 
"Metje  and — and  the  others  may  be  killed  for 
all  I  know.  I  cannot  bear  the  suspense." 

Nan  would  have  gone  with  her,  but  this  Kate 
would  not  allow  nor  did  Judith  wish  it,  so  she 
was  prevailed  on  to  wait  on  the  promise  that 
Judith  would  return  at  once  with  news. 

Alas,  however,  for  human  fraility!  No 
sooner  did  the  girl  reach  the  corner  than  she  too 
disappeared  around  it. 

Nan  cast  one  indignant  glance  toward  Nurse 
104 


IN  WHICH  A  BATTLE  IS  FOUGHT 

Kate,  resenting  a  restraint  that  was  no  longer 
imposed,  for  the  worthy  dame,  tucking  up  her 
petticoats,  had  set  off  in  pursuit  of  Judith. 

With  a  whoop  of  joy.  Nan  picked  up  her  little 
skirts  and  ran  too. 

Once  the  corner  was  rounded  the  disappointing 
fact  became  evident  that  the  fight  was  over  and  a 
parley  was  toward. 

Tom  Lane  was  stretched  on  the  bank  with  Ju- 
dith bending  over  him.  Metje  was  tightly 
holding  something  wrapped  about  in  the  huik, 
and  Robin  was  facing  two  or  three  men  and 
talking  to  them  heatedly. 

"Sorry  I  am  to  say  it,  for  ye  be  well-meaning 
yokels,  I  make  no  doubt;  but  spoil-sports  ye  be. 
Shame  on  ye !  The  young  gentleman  and  I  had 
scarce  warmed  to  our  work  ere  ye  nipped  in  on 
our  side.  Small  hope  then  that  the  robbers  would 
stand  and  take  their  punishment.  The  odds  were 
too  great — and  our  plan  working  to  perfection 
too!" 

"If  't  was  part  of  your  plan  to  lose  the  gold, 
then  't  was  marvelous  well  done,"  one  of  the  new- 
comers declared  sarcastically,  the  while  he  nursed 
a  hurt  shin.  "Your  mate  there  tripped  me,  or  I 

105 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

would  have  had  the  man  in  the  yellow  cap  who 
carried  off  one  bag." 

"Give  over  your  quarreling  and  see  what  I 
brought  down  with  no  better  weapon  than  the 
Huik,  which  you  would  have  left  trailing  in  the 
mud  of  the  gutter  had  I  not  run  to  rescue  it," 
called  Metje  chidingly. 

But  the  men  paid  her  no  heed,  and  it  was 
Nurse  Kate  who  went  to  her  aid. 

"What  the  Senhor  will  say  I  little  like  to 
think,"  another  of  the  strangers  muttered,  mak- 
ing a  sling  of  his  neckerchief  to  support  a  bruised 
arm. 

"I  know  not  your  Senhor  nor  care  what  he 
thinks,"  Robin  said  stoutly,  "but  I  am  curious 
to  know  whence  you  had  news  of  what  we 
carried." 

"You  scarce  were  so  innocent  as  to  suppose 
Job  would  be  sent  upon  such  an  errand  un- 
guarded," the  first  stranger  explained  impatiently. 
"We  were  told  that  our  master's  honor  would  not 
be  satisfied  until  the  gold  was  placed  by  the  juffcr 
with  some  man  of  affairs.  Till  that  was  done 
we  were  responsible.  But,  finding  Smathers  had 

1 06 


IN  WHICH  A  BATTLE  IS  FOUGHT 

sundry  hired  bravos  conveniently  near,  we  kept 
an  eye  on  them  as  well." 

"Now  I  am  glad,"  said  Judith  to  nobody  in 
particular,  "although  I  ought  to  have  had  no 
doubt." 

"You  may  be  glad,  miss,"  the  last  of  the 
strangers  interrupted  sourly,  "but  we  can  scarce 
be  brought  to  rejoice  with  ye.  I  tell  ye  flatly 
't  is  your  own  men  you  have  to  blame  for  this 
mishap.  Are  their  reputations  all  they  should  be? 
For,  look  you,  I  dare  swear  that  not  one  but  both 
connived  at  the  escape  of  the  thieves,  and  I  know 
not  how  I  am  to  face  my  master  with  the  news  I 
have  for  him." 

"Well,  then,"  said  Metje,  who  with  Nurse 
Kate's  help  had  set  up  the  bundle  she  held  and 
now  was  unswathing  its  wrappings,  "here's  a 
present  you  may  carry  to  him.  Belike,  whoever 
he  is,  he  '11  have  ways  of  rewarding  an  unfaith- 
ful servant." 

Blinking  and  gasping  for  breath — for  Metje, 
a  fine  figure  of  a  woman,  had  thrown  the  huik 
over  his  head  and  then  borne  him  to  the  ground 
by  sheer  weight, — Job  Smathers  emerged  from 

107 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

the  folds  of  cloth  only  to  try  again  to  take  refuge 
in  the  concealment  the  cloak  afforded  when  he 
recognized  the  men  talking  to  Robin ;  but  he  was 
too  late.  With  exclamations  of  grim  satisfaction 
they  pounced  upon  him. 

"With  this  rascal  in  hand  we  '11  find  the  others. 
He  can  be  made  to  peach!"  one  of  them  cried 
exultantly,  and  Judith  felt  it  in  her  to  be  sorry 
for  so  sorry  a  knave  when  she  heard  his  whimper- 
ing appeals  for  mercy  as  he  fell  on  his  knees  be- 
fore her  in  the  muddy  roadway. 

"Who,"  asked  Metje  suddenly,  "is  on  watch  in 
my  kitchen?  Fine  stewards  are  we.  We  may 
return  to  find  ne'er  a  pickle  left." 

"Krumm  will  be  on  guard,"  Nan  said  compla- 
cently. "He  is  faithfuller  than  we." 

But  Metje's  words  had  jogged  their  memories 
and  they  made  ready  in  haste  to  return  to  the 
house,  while  Judith  addressed  the  strangers. 

"You  have  had  small  thanks  for  the  help  you 
came  to  give,"  she  said.  ("Thanks  indeed!" 
Robin  snorted  under  his  breath.)  "But  I  am  not 
unmindful  of  it  and,  if  you  will  take  a  letter  to 
your  master  for  me,  I  can  promise  that  you  will 
find  yourselves  freed  from  blame." 

108 


IN  WHICH  A  BATTLE  IS  FOUGHT 

Not  very  hopeful  that  her  message  would  do 
aught  for  them,  the  men  too  went  to  the  house 
and  were  regaled  by  Metje  with  ale  and  kookies 
and  much  talk;  while  Judith  wrote  her  letter  to 
Salvador  Dacosta,  explaining  all.  She  sealed 
this  with  her  father's  signet,  pressed  down  on  the 
hot  wax;  but  Dacosta  had  enjoined  that  she  for- 
get his  name  so  there  was  no  superscription. 
Thus  she  handed  it  to  his  men,  and  noted  that 
they  were  in  no  way  surprised  at  the  lack  of 
address,  but  rather  that  she  seemed  to  rise  in 
their  estimation  as  one  who,  having  been  entrusted 
with  a  secret,  knew  how  to  guard  it. 

"This  shall  reach  its  destination,  missy,  be 
sure  of  that,"  was  all  they  said  on  taking  leave. 
They  carried  with  them  their  miserable  prisoner, 
cringing  and  protesting  at  every  step;  but,  once 
they  were  gone,  it  was  hard  to  believe  in  their 
very  existence,  so  fantastic  did  their  entrance 
into  the  affair  seem.  Indeed,  the  others  could 
scarce  control  their  laughter  till  the  men  were  out 
of  hearing. 

"Robin  would  have  me  squire  him  over  the 
stones  like  the  pretty  lady  he  pretended  to  be," 
Tom  at  last  began  their  tale,  "and  't  was  when  he 

109 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

was  enjoying  some  extra  airs  and  graces  that 
the  thieves  descended  upon  us." 

"It  took  me  a  minute  to  strip  off  that  huik" 
Robin  interpolated,  "while  one  great  hairy  man, 
who  scared  gentle  me  a'most  to  death,  tugged  at 
my  bag  of  gold.  So  frighted  was  he  when  he 
saw  my  pretty  face  come  out  from  the  hood 
that  he  went  over  backward  into  the  muck  in  the 
kennel.  A  moment  later  he  was  up  and  made 
off—" 

"Helped  by  a  good  thwack  from  Rabin's  staff," 
Tom  interrupted.  "Glad  I  was  to  see  the  wretch 
go,  for  he  took  one  bag  of  metal  with  him." 

"There  were  seven  men  left,"  Robin  went  on, 
"and  I  looked  for  a  right  merry  meeting.  It 
would  have  done  me  good,  for  I  lack  exercise 
sorely;  but  along  must  come  those  spoil-sports 
shouting  'A  rescue!  A  rescue!'  to  ruin  the  fun." 

"Now  then,"  said  Judith,  "I  do  not  understand 
your  figures.  Surely  you  said  the  odds  were 
against  the  thieves,  yet  they  were  seven,  the  res- 
cuers three,  which  with  you  and  Master  Lane 
makes  five  to  us — " 

"Od  zounds!"  Robin  explained,  "count  the 
others  as  you  -will,  but  Master  Lane  and  I  could 

no 


IN  WHICH  A  BATTLE  IS  FOUGHT 

not  in  justice  rate  ourselves  at  evens  against  such 
scum !  I  had  thought  to  fight  with  one  hand  held 
behind  me  in  the  way  of  sport." 

"Men  are  men  and  numbers  are  numbers," 
Judith  began. 

But  Nan  interrupted,  looking  at  Robin  with 
adoring  eyes. 

"Nay,  I  know  what  Robin  means,"  she  said. 
"Krumm  is  a  dog  and  so  are  my  mother's  sickly 
spaniels  that  must  sit  on  a  'ladies'  darling'  apiece 
to  keep  warm,  even  though  my  mother  and  I, 
lacking  foot-stoves,  go  with  cold  feet.  Think 
you  it  would  be  fair  to  rate  Krumm  at  evens  with 
such?  So  it  is  with  men." 

"It  still  remains  to  take  your  pickles  to  market," 
Tom  remarked  jocularly,  when  Nan's  explanation 
had  been  approved. 

"And  I  can  tell  you  how  to  do  it,"  Kate  said. 
"Here  comes  the  boy  with  water  from  the 
Tea-^water  Pump.  Hire  him  to  drive  the  keg  in 
his  dog-wagon  to  the  Here  van  Bursum's  count- 
ing-house. Robin  and  Master  Lane  can  walk 
on  the  other  side  of  the  kennel,  and  no  one  will 
know  that  they  guard  aught  of  worth." 

"Judith  and  I  will  go  too,  to  see  the  sport,"  Nan 
in 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

suggested  hopefully,  but  Judith  made  short  work 
of  that  idea. 

"Judith  and  you  will  sit  in  the  office  to  work  at 
a  little  Latin  that  hath  been  neglected  of  late," 
she  said  sternly,  motioning  Nan  to  enter. 

"I  '11  return  with  Here  van  Bursum's  receipt," 
Tom  called,  in  haste. 

"Oh!"  Judith  stayed  her  steps.  "Is  that  nec- 
essary ?  Can  you  not  keep  it  for  me  till  another 
day  ?  Surely  am  I  making  you  lose  too  much  time 
from  your  father's  business." 

Tom  laughed  a  little  dryly  at  this  suggestion. 

"I  'm  none  so  anxious  to  prove  zealous  and  effi- 
cient in  that  business,"  he  confessed.  "If  I  do  too 
well,  there  is  danger  that  I  may  never  be  let  go 
back  to  my  studies.  Whereas  should  my  father 
make  up  his  mind  that  I  am  not  useful  to  him  in 
his  large  affairs,  he  may  ship  me  off  to  Europe 
where  my  heart  is." 

"If  that  is  your  wish,  I  hope  you  may  get  it," 
Judith  told  him  steadily.  "I  see  Metje  has  come 
to  terms  with  the  dog-boy,  and  as  you  are  in  no 
haste,  't  is  in  my  mind  that  I  shall  set  seals  upon 
that  keg ;  thus  the  Here  van  Bursum  will  not  need 

112 


IN  WHICH  A  BATTLE  IS  FOUGHT 

to  know  what  it  contains  in  money,  nor  will  he  be 
troubled  to  count  it  as  otherwise  I  am  sure  he 
would  think  he  must." 

She  withdrew  suddenly  into  the  house,  to  all 
seeming  intent  upon  this  errand,  and  soon  after- 
ward Robin  came  out,  rolling  the  pickle-barrel. 

'T  is  good  your  dog-wagon  is  a  stout  one," 
he  remarked  to  the  boy,  "for  this  rum,  if  rum  it 
be,  hath  a  body  to  it  to  turn  men's  heads."  With 
an  effort  he  landed  it  in  the  cart,  winking  at  Tom 
to  note  the  humor  of  his  deception.  The  dog-boy 
looked  Robin  over. 

"Your  rum,  if  rum  it  be"  he  said,  "is  laced,  I 
make  no  doubt,  with  richer  goods.  But  let's  be 
off.  'T  is  naught  to  me  or  my  team  if  we  carry 
water  from  the  Tea-water  Pump  or  pirate's 
treasure.  We  earn  but  our  just  fees."  And,  in 
imitation  of  Robin,  he  winked  at  Tom  most  vil- 
lainously. 

Far  from  being  angered  at  this,  Robin  roared 
with  laughter  and  tweaked  the  boy's  ear  good- 
naturedly. 

"Almost  thou  mindest  me  of  myself  at  thy 
age,"  he  declared.  "See  that  thou  leadest  as 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

sweet  and  gentle  a  life,  so  that  when  thou  readiest 
my  years  thou  wilt  be,  as  I  am,  a  squire  of  dames 
and  toy-maker  to  children." 

"Well,  let's  be  off,"  Tom  said  wth  a  swift 
glance  towrard  the  house,  to  make  sure  that  Judith 
and  Nan  were  not  returning  to  wish  them  God- 
speed. "Think  you  we  need  our  staffs  ?"  he  asked 
Robin  in  an  undertone. 

"I  've  little  hope  that  we  will,"  Robin  replied. 
"There  's  no  such  luck  comes  my  way  as  two 
lawful  turn-ups  in  one  day.  We  '11  take  them, 
none  the  less,  for  there  's  the  chance  that  our  res- 
cuers may  not  have  been  the  fools  they  seemed  and 
may  by  now  suspect  that  we  would  have  been  less 
ready  to  be  rid  of  our  burdens  had  they  contained 
aught  of  value." 

"You  don't  fancy  they  would  turn  on  us?" 
Tom  asked,  astonished  at  such  a  suggestion. 

"Nay,  then,"  said  Robin  shrugging  his 
shoulders,  "I  say  no  such  thing,  for  I  have  small 
expectation  of  it;  but  there  is  a  chance  that  one 
or  t'other  among  them  might  like  to  try  a  bout 
with  us  for  the  sport  of  it,  if  naught  more.  -There 
was  but  enough  of  that  little  fray  just  now  to 
whet  the  appetite."  And,  hoping  against  hope 

114 


IN  WHICH  A  BATTLE  IS  FOUGHT 

that  they  might  meet  with  some  new  adventure, 
they  set  out  for  Here  van  Bursum's. 

Within  the  house  Nurse  Kate  was  at  her  knit- 
ting and  Metje  at  her  wheel,  while  Judith  and  Nan 
labored  over  lessons  on  which  it  was  very  hard 
to  fix  their  minds  after  the  recent  stirring  events. 

"Why  did  you  run  to  Tom,  Judith  ?"  Nan  asked 
suddenly.  "I  had  no  alarm  for  him.  Did  you 
forget  that  it  was  ffart  of  the  plan  that  he  should 
feign  a  wound?" 

The  older  girl  colored  faintly. 

"I  saw  Metje,  busied  as  I  thought  in  gathering 
my  cloak  from  the  kennel,  so  I  knew  that  I  need 
fear  naught  for  her ;  but  he,  Master  Lane — " 

"You  called  him  Tom  yesterday,"  Nan  re- 
minded her. 

"To  be  sure,"  said  Judith,  rallying  her  forces. 
"Why  not?  He  is  a  member  now  of  my  own 
Company.  Tom  lay  there  with  no  one  looking 
after  him,  so  still  that  I  fancied  his  hurt  was 
real.  Common  humanity  caused  me  to  go  to  his 
assistance.  I  thought  he  had  come  by  his  injury 
in  my  service,  and  there  is  no  way  for  me  to  re- 
pay him.  Now  as  to  Robin,  Nan,  I  should 
give  him  a  gold  piece,  should  I  not  ?" 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"No,  no!"  cried  Nan  indignantly,  "you  must 
not  wound  him  so.  Robin  fights  not  for  hire 
but  for  friendship.  He  will  value  your  thanks 
more  than  aught  else  you  can  bestow.  I  know 
that  he  hath  no  need  of  gold,  nor  would  he  accept 
it." 

"Then  will  I  thank  him  right  heartily,"  Judith 
declared.  "Come,  we  will  give  over  lessons  for 
to-day.  Neither  of  us  is  in  the  mood  for  them." 

"Let  us  go  into  the  garden,"  Nan  suggested 
eagerly;  "there  we  can  first  see  Robin  returning." 

But  when  the  two  came  they  were  disconsolate. 
Nothing  at  all  had  happened.  The  precious  keg 
had  been  delivered  to  Here  van  Bursum  at  his 
counting-house  where  he  made  himself  respon- 
sible for  its  safe  keeping.  Tom  gave  Judith  the 
receipt.  It  was  all  very  flat  and  uninteresting, 
and  Robin  was  plunged  into  melancholy  over 
what  might  have  been  but  was  not. 

"What  I  should  have  done  was  to  have  stretched 
those  meddling  rescuers!"  he  exclaimed  as  if  at 
a  sudden  discovery.  "Then  would  I  have  had 
time  to  play  with  the  foot-pads  as  I  saw  fit." 

"Robin,  Robin,"  cried  Kate  in  chiding  tones, 
116 


IN  WHICH  A  BATTLE  IS  FOUGHT 

"against  my  wish  our  little  lady  exposed  you  to 
this  danger.  Seize  hold  on  yourself  or  you  will 
backslide.  I  know  you  will." 

Robin  finding  naught  to  say  for  himself,  a  de- 
fender appeared  for  him  in  the  person  of  Metje. 

"Give  over  harrying  the  man,"  she  said. 
"Fighting  is  man's  meat.  Wouldst  make  a  milk- 
sop of  thy  brother  ?"  She  and  Nurse  Kate,  usu- 
ally the  best  of  friends,  now  faced  each  other 
looking  like  two  fat  hens  with  ruffled  feathers, 
and  Judith  hastened  to  interpose  to  save  hard 
words  between  them. 

"Indeed  the  responsibility  is  all  mine,"  she  de- 
clared. "It  was  in  my  defense  Robin  acted  and 
I  cannot  thank  him  enough  for  his  help."  She 
gave  him  her  hand  prettily,  whereat  Robin  red- 
dened like  a  blushing  maiden  but  looked  vastly 
pleased  withal. 

Shortly  thereafter  Nan  started  home,  taking 
the  brother  and  sister  with  her,  but  Tom  still 
lingered.  He  had  little  to  say  seemingly,  and  at 
last  Judith  broke  a  rather  oppressive  silence  to 
ask  openly  what  he  stayed  for  if  he  were  not 
minded  for  conversation. 

117 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"I  waited  to  be  thanked  as  sweetly  as  was 
Robin,"  he  declared,  with  an  attempt  at  lightness 
which  Judith  parried  readily. 

"You  know  you  have  my  gratitude,"  she  told 
him. 

"I  also  waited  to  ask — "  he  began;  then  stopped 
at  a  loss  for  words.  "Nothing!"  he  ended  and 
flung  out  of  the  gate  and  away,  throwing  back 
over  his  shoulder  the  words :  "I  leave  town  to- 
morrow on  my  father's  business." 


118 


CHAPTER  IX 

IN   WHICH   A    NOBLE   DAME   SEEKS 
SYMPATHY   AND   AID 

JUDITH,  somewhat  astray  in  her  mind  for  the 
explanation  of  Tom's  brusqueness,  went  within 
to  pick  up  certain  fag  ends  of  womanish  work 
which  had  been  sadly  neglected  while  she  was 
about  the  task  of  closing  out  her  father's  busi- 
ness ;  but  she  had  hardly  started  when  she  heard 
the  rolling  of  a  coach,  and  a  liveried  footman, 
closely  escorted  by  Krumm,  who  sniffed  suspi- 
ciously at  his  silken  elegancy,  ran  up  the  walk  to 
knock  a  thundering  roll  upon  the  door. 

"Save  us,"  cried  Metje,  "  't  is  no  other  than 
the  Governor's  lady!  Think  you  she  means  to 
visit  here  or  hath  she  gone  astray?" 

"My  heart  misgives  me  that  she  means  to  honor 
me,"  Judith  said. 

"An  we  do  not  answer,  most  like  she  will  drive 
away  and  forget  us,"  Metje  suggested. 

119 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"Go  to  the  door  and  speak  to  the  lackey,"  Ju- 
dith commanded,  with  a  foot  on  the  stair.  "I 
will  smooth  my  hair  and  be  ready  to  meet  the  lady 
as  she  enters.  She  would  but  come  again  another 
time." 

Lady  Bellomont,  a  lackey  standing  obsequiously 
at  either  side  of  the  open  gate,  came  up  the 
path  in  haste  and  entered  with  a  considerable 
show  of  excitement,  Judith,  in  accordance  with 
Dutch  etiquette,  giving  her  greeting  at  the  thresh- 
old. 

"What's  this,  I  hear?  What's  this?"  the 
noble  lady  demanded,  scarce  troubling  to  notice 
the  young  girl's  salutation. 

"I  pray  your  ladyship  will  enter  the  great 
chamber  and  be  seated,"  Judith  said,  for  her  visi- 
tor was  sweeping  from  end  to  end  of  the 
voorhuis  with  her  robe  flying,  till  the  patterns 
Metje  had  sanded  there  were  scattered,  and  the 
sand  was  laid  in  swaths  along  the  floor. 

"Why  do  you  not  answer  me,  miss?"  Lady 
Bellomont  rapped  out.  "Adzooks !  Am  I  never 
to  have  a  straight  answer  to  a  plain  question?" 

"In  truth,  Lady  Bellomont,  I  know  not  what 
120 


A  NOBLE  DAME  SEEKS  SYMPATHY 

it  is  you  wish  to  know,"  Judith  replied,  with  a  dig- 
nity unusual  in  so  young  a  girl,  "but  there  is 
naught  I  have  any  interest  in  concealing;  there- 
fore you  may  rest  assured  that  I  will  answer  to 
the  best  of  my  ability  whatever  it  may  please 
you  to  ask." 

This  assurance  seemed  to  calm  Lady  Bello- 
mont,  for  she  drew  out  a  chair  from  the  table 
and  seated  herself. 

"Here  then  is  the  case,"  she  said.  "  'T  is  a 
well-known  fact  that  Captain  Giles  Shelley,  the 
buccaneer,  hid  on  our  shores  a  vast  treasure  that 
hath  never  been  recovered.  To-day  the  boy  from 
the  Tea-water  pump  drove  his  dogs  through  the 
town,  boasting  at  every  door  that  he  had  carried  a 
pirate  treasure  from  this  house." 

"The  boy  lied,"  Judith  said  shortly. 

"Say  not  so!"  Lady  Bellomont's  pretty  face 
darkened.  "I  want  not  to  lose  my  good  opinion 
of  you.  There  were  many  who  saw  the  man 
who  guarded  it.  A  burly  ruffian  with  a  jeweled 
earring." 

"True  enough,"  Judith  agreed,  and  "true  it 
was  that  that  man  was  engaged  in  guarding  a 

121 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

treasure,  but  it  was  no  fabulous  pirate  hoard. 
Only  the  sum  of  money  paid  me  for  the  goods  in 
my  father's  storehouse." 

"Eh,  then,"  interrupted  Lady  Bellomont,  quick 
to  seize  on  any  hope  of  profit,  "how  much  was 
that?  Surely  there  are  death  dues  and  charges 
against  it  for  the  state  that  should  be  given  over 
into  the  hands  of  my  lord." 

"Rest  assured  that  whatever  is  lawful  will 
be  dispensed  by  the  Here  van  Bursum  to  whose 
good  offices  it  was  consigned,"  Judith  said 
steadily. 

At  this  her  ladyship  was  at  small  pains  to 
conceal  her  annoyance,  and  jumped  to  her  feet 
to  resume  her  nervous  walk  up  and  down  the 
voorhuis. 

"Perchance,"  she  said  at  last,  hope  springing 
again  in  her  breast,  "this  treasure  you  speak  of 
is  not  the  one  the  lad  meant." 

"But  it  was,  your  Excellency,"  Judith  declared. 
"There  was  no  other,  I  'm  sure;  for  scarce  would 
the  boy  be  hired  to  carry  two  such  loads  in  one 
day.  He  but  invented  a  likely  tale  of  pirates,  or 
believed  it  himself,  perchance." 

"A  pox  on  him !     He  should  be  whipped  for  a 

122 


A  NOBLE  DAME  SEEKS  SYMPATHY 

little  liar/'  said  her  ladyship  hotly;  then  once 
more  her  temper  seemed  to  cool  and  she  resumed 
her  seat  at  the  table. 

"Hast  never  been  beyond  this  province?"  she 
asked.  Judith  shook  her  head. 

"I  die  for  London,"  her  visitor  murmured. 
"My  lord  is  so  busied  with  his  office,  and  so  bitter 
in  his  war  against  the  Madagascar  trade,  that  he 
hath  estranged  all  the  gentles,  leaving  me  friend- 
less and  alone.  It  was  my  purpose,  had  there 
been  a  treasure,  to  demand  a  share  in  it  for  the 
finder's  protection.  With  money  in  hand,  I 
could  induce  my  husband  to  give  up  his  post  here 
and  return  to  England;  I  know  I  could." 

Tears  rolled  down  her  cheeks. 

"I  pine  and  sicken  for  my  home,"  she  sobbed. 
"Look  at  my  hands,  so  thin  that  almost  you  can 
see  through  them.  Think  you  my  heart  is 
stouter?  I  tell  you  that  in  this  hateful  country 
my  end  is  near.  I  must  go  home !  I  must !" 

Judith  was  moved  and  surprised  by  this  sud- 
den confidence  from  one  whom  she  hardly  knew. 

"  'T  is  sad  that  you  are  not  happy  here,"  she 
said  gently.  "I  would  I  could  help  you." 

"Would  you  an  you  could?"  Lady  Bellomont 
123 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

asked  quickly,  "for  truly  I  fear  I  shall  go  mad  in 
this  wilderness,  who  am  used  to  all  the  pleasures 
and  luxuries  of  London-town,  I  ask  you,  would 
you  an  you  could?" 

"That  I  would,"  Judith  assured  her  heartily. 

"Then  demand  of  this  man  of  yours  if  he  hath 
knowledge  of  any  hidden  hoard?  He  was  a 
pirate  once,  you  can't  deny  it,  and  such  men 
hold  strange  secrets." 

"But  why  should  he  not  seek  out  the  treasure 
for  himself,  in  such  case?"  Judith  inquired 
reasonably. 

"He  might  lack  a  boat — helpers  he  could  trust. 
I  know  not !  At  least  promise  you  will  ask  him." 

"That  I  can  do,"  Judith  promised,  and  the 
noble  lady  took  her  leave,  her  romantic  fancy 
already  busy  with  dreams  of  what  she  would  do 
if  she  were  mistress  of  a  vast  treasure. 

Judith  resumed  her  seat  at  the  table  to  review 
what  had  just  passed,  but  found  herself  unable  to 
fix  her  mind  on  the  matter.  Instead,  a  wave  of 
self-pity  overwhelmed  her.  Here  she  was,  an 
orphan,  alone  in  the  city,  at  the  mercy  of  robbers 
who  plotted  to  seize  her  wealth,  with  but  one 
faint  chance  of  carrying  out  her  father's  com- 

124 


A  NOBLE  DAME  SEEKS  SYMPATHY 

mands  without  sacrificing  herself;  with  no  rel- 
atives she  could  turn  to,  few  if  any  friends — 

"Oh,  wae,  Judith  Van  Taarl,"  she  broke  the 
thread  of  her  own  thoughts  to  speak  aloud. 
"What 's  wrong  with  thee  ?  I  think  thou  must 
be  ill.  Never  before  in  thy  long  life  hast  thou 
felt  like  this.  Get  thee  to  Metje  and  perchance 
she  can  physick  thee  ere  't  is  too  late." 

With  faltering  steps  she  made  her  way  to  the 
kitchen,  where  a  most  savory  smell  greeted  her. 

"I  had  planned,"  said  Metje,  stirring  a  pot 
busily,  "to  keep  my  ear  glued  to  the  keyhole,  that 
I  might  be  able  in  future  to  tell  my  posterity  how 
the  great  ones  of  this  world  discourse;  but  there 
was  that  within  me  that  would  not  be  stilled." 

"Your  conscience,"  Judith  murmured,  white 
to  the  lips. 

"Nay,"  said  Metje,  "  't  was  more  serious  still 
than  that.  It  was  a  terrible  feeling,  such  as  in 
all  my  life  I  had  not  had  before." 

"O  Metje,"  cried  Judith,  "is  it  a  catching  sick- 
ness? For  I  too  am  suddenly  seized  by  a  vast 
emptiness,  an  awful  goneness  here."  She  placed 
a  pretty  hand  on  the  pit  of  her  stomach  and 
looked  to  Metje  for  sympathy. 

125 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"  'T  is  the  same  disease,"  Metje  nodded.  "A 
tidbit  here  and  a  tidbit  there  have  eased  my 
troubles  mightily,  and  soon,  I  can  promise  you, 
you  will  be  quite  recovered;  for  to-night  we 
sup  not  on  bread  and  cheese  but  on  the  best  Metje 
can  set  before  you,  and  early,  too,  for  all  is  ready 
now  to  dish  up.  Know  you  not,  my  pet  lamb, 
that  no  bite  nor  sup  hath  passed  your  lips  this 
day  since  breakfast-time,  so  busied  have  you 
been?" 

Then  a  light  dawned  upon  Judith. 

"And  is  this  hateful  feeling  hunger,"  she  cried, 
"and  naught  more?  O  Metje,  hast  fed  Krumm? 
I  would  not  have  him  suffer  so." 

"He  's  fed  and  all  is  ready  for  our  service," 
Metje  assured  her.  "Let 's  to  table.  You  carry 
the  lobster.  I  '11  take  the  lamprey-pie  and  the 
fricassee  of  chicken  and  return  for  the  rest. 
The  sooner  you  put  food  in  your  stomach,  the 
sooner  will  the  world  wag  well  again." 

Their  meal  began  almost  in  silence;  but  when 
the  first  great  hunger  was  appeased  they  found 
time  to  talk  over  the  events  of  the  day. 

"Think  you  you  got  all  you  should  have  for 
your  stores?"  Metje  asked.  "A  sale  by  the 

126 


A  NOBLE  DAME  SEEKS  SYMPATHY 

candle  sometimes  brings  great  returns,  if  the 
people  grow  heated  in  bidding  against  each 
other." 

"I  am  content,"  Judith  replied.  "I  made  by 
it  more  than  my  father  expected.  But  let  us  not 
forget  to  call  off  the  vendue  criers  to-morrow. 
I  want  no  disappointed  bargain-hunters  at  our 
door." 

"I  '11  attend  to  it  ere  you  wake,"  Metje  re- 
turned. "Save  us !  Who 's  that  would  enter 
here  to-night  ?  Hark  to  Krumm  barking.  He  '11 
have  the  man  in  pieces." 

Together  they  ran  to  the  door  to  call  Krumm 
off  the  visitor. 


127 


CHAPTER  X 

IN  WHICH  VISITORS  ARRIVE  FROM   PATRIA 

'QUCH  a  wild  beast  should  not  be  let  live!" 
^  These  were  the  words  Judith  heard  as  Metje 
opened  the  door,  uttered  in  high  complaining  tones 
that  echoed  in  her  memory  along  with  a  very 
different  voice,  saying,  "Your  need  of  haste  is 
more  urgent  than  you  know." 

"I  will  dispose  of  him  to-morrow,"  a  man 
made  answer,  and  as  the  door  opened  a  crack 
this  speaker  set  his  foot  against  it  and  pushed  it 
in  quickly.  Metje  and  Judith  stepping  aside 
hastily  to  make  way  for  the  visitor,  for  well  they 
knew  who  was  come. 

"This  is  Judith?"  the  Here  de  Heem  said 
coldly,  as  he  entered.  "You  have  grown,  as  was 
to  be  expected,  but  I  should  have  known  you 
again." 

"Judith,  my  dear  dead  brother's  only  child," 
sobbed  the  lady  who  followed  him.  "  'T  is  a  sad 

128 


VISITORS  ARRIVE  FROM  PATRIA 

home-coming,  my  love,"  and,  still  weeping,  she 
fell  upon  Judith's  neck  and  clung  there. 

Metje  smiled  grimly  at  this  exhibition,  recalling 
full  well  the  many  differences  in  the  old  days 
between  this  flabby,  lacrimose  lady  and  her  forth- 
right stepbrother;  but  when  she  spoke  it  was 
civilly  enough. 

"Let  me  take  your  wraps  and  bundles.  The 
supper  is  still  upon  the  table.  'T  would  be  well 
to  eat  it  ere  it  is  cold." 

"Supper!"  sniffed  Moeye  Beletje,  "that  is  like 
you,  Metje;  but  how  can  I  think  of  food  and  my 
heart  aching?" 

None  the  less  she  released  Judith  and  stepped 
briskly  toward  the  table,  only  turning  back  to  say, 
"Welcome  Carolus  as  he  should  be  welcomed, 
my  dear.  I  assure  you  he  hath  been  longing 
for  this  meeting  through  all  our  weary  jour- 
ney." 

At  her  words,  Carolus  de  Heem,  who  had 
stayed  his  steps  just  within  the  doorway  and  was 
taking  in  the  scene  with  quick-glancing,  ironical 
eyes,  stepped  forward  to  salute  the  girl ;  but  she 
avoided  him  politely  enough  by  dropping  a 
curtesy  and  saying  formally,  "You  are  welcome  to 

129 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

Yorke,"  the  while  she  thought  resentfully,  "I 
might  have  been  spared  this  intrusion." 

Her  lack  of  enthusiasm  had  been  noted  at 
once  by  the  elder  De  Heem,  who  shrugged  his 
shoulders  behind  her  back  as  Judith  pressed  them 
all  to  draw  up  to  the  table  and  regale  themselves, 
while  she  and  Metje  went  above  stairs  to  lay  out 
well-aired  sheets  and  prepare  their  rooms  for 
occupancy. 

"It  seems  to  me  the  Juffrouw  Van  Taarl  hath 
more  spirit  than  you  credited  her  with,"  Carolus 
said  when  she  was  out  of  hearing.  "This  is  no 
meek  maiden,  or  my  eyes  deceive  me." 

"Her  aunt  will  have  a  word  with  her  to- 
morrow," his  father  assured  him. 

"Nay,"  protested  the  Vrouw  de  Heem,  her 
mouth  full  of  pie,  "  't  is  always  7  am  that  am  set 
to  do  the  distasteful  things." 

"There's  naught  distasteful  about  this,"  Here 
de  Heem  hastened  to  point  out,  seeing  his  wife 
again  upon  the  brink  of  tears.  "Any  girl  should 
be  glad  to  clear  her  father's  name  and  wed  a  per- 
sonable young  man  to  boot." 

"Do  they  always  live  like  this  in  the  New 
World?"  Carolus  asked,  helping  himself  liberally 

130 


VISITORS  ARRIVE  FROM  PATRIA 

to  pigeons  and  buttered  ale.     "  T  is  rich  fare." 

"  'T  is  rank  extravagance,"  his  father  said, 
looking  from  one  to  another  of  the  delectable 
dishes  on  the  table.  "Your  mother  to-morrow 
must  take  a  hand  in  the  housekeeping." 

"  'T  is  useless  to  ask  me,"  his  wife  blubbered. 
"Judith,  being  young,  I  can  handle  mayhap; 
but  Metje,  never!  She  would  laugh  in  my 
face." 

"Then  she  must  go,"  iDe  Heem  declared.  "I 
will  not  have  an  insolent  servant  in  my  house." 

"In  Holland,  where  you  are  known,  you  can 
carry  things  like  that  with  a  high  hand,"  his  wife 
plucked  up  spirit  to  say,  "but  you  are  forgetting 
that  we  Dutch  threw  away  this  province.  It  is 
English,  and  these  English  have  a  rare  idea  of 
justice." 

"My  mother  is  right,  sir,"  Carolus  said,  for  so 
he  named  his  father's  wife,  while  she  stroked  his 
hand  furtively  under  the  cloth.  Indeed  if  there 
was  one  thing  Vrouw  de  Heem  loved  it  was  this 
stepson,  who  was  hers  through  her  late  marriage. 
"  'T  is  ever  more  prudential  not  to  stir  up  enmity. 
What  will  a  little  extra  butter  and  spice  matter  in 
the  long  run?" 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"True  enough,  I  am  not  playing  for  counters  in 
this  game;  but  I  like  not  such  lavishness,"  De 
Heem  grumbled;  and  Metje,  setting  her  foot  on 
the  stair  above,  overheard  him  and  at  once  took 
the  matter  up. 

"You  will  have  no  cause  to  complain  of  it 
again,"  she  told  him  gruffly.  "Our  usual  supper 
is  bread  and  cheese;  but  to-day  we  had  neither 
dinner  nor  piece,  a  fact  that  you  are  profiting  by," 
and  she  passed  out  of  the  voorhuis  into  the  kitchen 
without  giving  him  time  to  reply. 

"That  is  a  most  'tankerous  woman,"  he  said, 
aggrievedly.  "I  am  overruled,  but  an  I  had  my 
way  I  'd  be  rid  of  her  at  any  cost." 

Judith  now  came  downstairs  to  take  her  place 
at  the  head  of  the  table  and  -act  the  hostess, 
which  she  did  prettily  enough,  albeit  she  had  little 
heart  in  it. 

"I  know  not  how  one  feels  when  coming  off  a 
ship,"  she  remarked,  "but  if  indeed  you  have 
finished  your  meal,  your  beds  are  ready  should 
you  wish  to  retire.  For  my  part,  I  have  had  a 
long  and  taxing  day  of  it  and  should  be  glad  of  a 
little  rest."  She  bent  her  head  and  said  the  short 
grace  after  meat  that  was  customary  and  then 

132 


VISITORS  ARRIVE  FROM  P  ATRIA 

stood  awaiting  her  guests'  pleasure;  but,  such 
was  the  force  of  her  desire  to  be  rid  of  them 
for  the  time,  that  almost  against  their  wills,  they 
found  themselves  ushered  to  their  rooms. 

Vrouw  de  Heem  walked  at  once  to  the  docfr  of 
Judith's  chamber,  but  the  girl  stayed  her  with^her 
hand  on  the  latch. 

"That  is  my  room  now,  Moeye  Beletje,"  she 
said,  "I  think  you  and  the  Here  de  Heem  will 
find  as  great  comfort  in  the  side-chamber.  Your 
son  I  have  put  in  the  room  above  the  office,  which 
has  recently  had  new  curtains  and  a  drugget  on 
the  floor." 

"It  would  be  more  fitting  that  I  had  my  old 
chamber  and  your  uncle  the  Master's  bed  in  the 
voorhuis,"  Vrouw  de  Heem  grumbled. 

"There  is  no  bed  in  the  voorhuis  now,  nor  ever 
will  be  again,"  Judith  answered  calmly.  "I  trust 
you  will  all  sleep  well;  but,  should  you  want  for 
anything,  Metje  rests  in  a  trundle-bed  in  my 
chamber,  and  a  call  will  bring  her  to  you.  Once 
more,  sleep  well."  She  entered  her  own  room 
and  closed  the  door  behind  her. 

Carolus  followed  his  father  and  mother  into 
their  apartment  and  there  laughed  long  if  silently. 

133 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"I  see  naught  to  laugh  at,"  grumbled  Here  de 
Heem.  "Here  I  am  sent  off  to  bed  like  a  naughty 
child  without  a  smoke  or  a  glass  of  schnapps." 

"  'T  is  that  I  'm  laughing  at,"  Carolus  grinned. 
"We  are  all  sent  off  to  bed  by  this  half -grown  girl, 
who  was  to  be  as  wax  in  your  hands.  For  my 
part  I  am  rejoiced.  Her  show  of  spirit  likes  me 
well." 

"There  is  no  reason  you  should  not  love  her," 
his  stepmother  said  eagerly,  "and  she,  you.  'T  is 
on  that  that  I  base  my  hopes." 

Carolus  patted  her  on  the  shoulder  indulgently. 

"Let  us  see  what  to-morrow  will  bring  forth," 
he  suggested  enigmatically,  and  went  off  to  bed. 

Metje,  below  stairs,  was  setting  everything 
away  when  Judith  reopened  her  door  and  slipped 
down  to  help  her. 

"O  Metje,"  she  murmured,  "however  are  we 
going  to  stand  it  ?  How  long  do  you  suppose  they 
intend  to  stay?" 

She  held  an  answer  to  that  question  which 
Metje  could  not  supply,  but  it  was  a  help  to  talk  to 
some  one  sympathetic. 

Metje  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"This  is  a  cheap  inn,  but  it  shall  not  be  too 
134 


VISITORS  ARRIVE  FROM  PATRIA 

good ;  for  at  last  am  I  in  favor  of  your  economies. 
The  Here  -de  Heem  holds  that  you  are  extrava- 
gant, does  he?  We'll  show  him!"  she  snorted 
indignantly. 

"But  we  cannot  be  inhospitable,  Metje.  Think 
of  the  shame  if  they  left  my  roof  and  went  to  stop 
at  the  City  Tavern?" 

"No  danger,"  Metje  scoffed,  "I  remember  Here 
de  Heem  of  old.  A  florin  to  him  was  so  big  it 
would  cover  the  moon." 

"This  then  we  can  do,"  Judith  said  thought- 
fully :  "we  can  feed  them  as  plainly  as  my  station 
will  allow.  And  I  must  harden  my  heart  to  with- 
stand certain  pressure  I  foresee  they  mean  to 
put  upon  me.  This  house  was  never  my  father's 
save  in  courtesy.  Here  I  am  mistress,  and  mis- 
tress I  purpose  to  remain." 

"That  is  well  said.  See  that  you  hold  to  it, 
but  it  will  be  hard  for  you  to  resist  your  aunt's 
complainings.  Also  must  we  have  a  care  of 
Krumm.  They  like  him  not." 

"My  dog!"  Judith  cried,  stiffening  at  the 
thought.  "Come !  Let 's  to  bed.  We  '11  soon 
see  how  I  can  meet  them  on  that  point." 

All  being  in  order,  the  kitchen  embers  covered 

135 


with  ashes  and  the  lights  out,  the  two  groped 
their  way  to  the  stair  and  so  to  bed. 

They  were  up  in  the  morning  bright  and  early, 
but  not  so  early  as  to  be  ahead  of  the  Here  de 
Heem,  whom  they  found  fuming  at  the  door, 
where,  sure  enough,  the  first  thing  he  mentioned 
was  Krumm. 

"This  brute  must  be  disposed  of,  Judith,"  he 
said,  hardly  returning  the  girl's  salutation.  "I 
cannot  have  him  at  large  about  the  place." 

Judith  opened  her  eyes  a  little  at  such  arro- 
gance but,  determined  not  to  begin  the  battle  she 
foresaw,  replied  politely. 

"Do  you  not  think  him  a  good  watch-dog?  I 
know  he  let  you  enter  last  night,  but  the  outer 
gate  had  not  been  locked  or  you  could  never  have 
passed  him." 

"  'T  is  not  that  he  let  me  in  that  I  complain  of ; 
rather  that  this  morning  he  will  not  let  me  out," 
Here  de  Heem  replied.  "Moreover,  your  aunt 
hath  delicate  sensibilities  and  cannot  bear  such  a 
great  beast  rushing  at  her.  He  must  be  got  rid 
of.  On  that  point  I  am  determined." 

"I  'm  sorry  to  refuse  your  request" — Judith 
spoke  quietly, — "but  I  consider  Krumm  necessary 


for  our  protection.  I  cannot,  nor  will  I,  part 
with  him.  I  can  promise  you,  however,  that  he 
will  not  annoy  my  aunt.  He  is  used  to  women- 
folk and  gentle  with  them." 

She  opened  the  door  as  she  spoke  and  the 
hound  came  at  once  for  his  morning  greeting, 
gamboling  like  a  puppy  at  sight  of  her. 

Bringing  him  close  to  Here  de  Heem  and  tak- 
ing a  fold  of  his  coat  in  her  hand,  she  held  it  to 
Krumm's  nose. 

"He  may  come  and  go,  Krumm,"  she  said. 
"He  may  come  and  go,  sir,"  and  the  beast  seemed 
to  understand  her,  for  when  De  Heem  started 
down  the  path  he  bared  his  teeth  but  made  no 
effort  to  stay  him. 

"Now,  good  dog,  we'll  get  your  breakfast." 
Judith  moved  toward  the  kitchen  door. 

"It  might  be  as  well  that  I  make  friends  with 
him,"  Here  de  Heem  suggested,  pausing  on  his 
way  to  the  gate,  "so  let  me  feed  him ;  if  the  brute 
is  to  stay,  that  is." 

"Be  a  friend  to  him  and  he  will  be  a  friend  to 
you,"  Judith  smiled,  elated  at  her  little  victory. 
"But  he  is  trained  to  eat  from  no  hand  save 
Metje's  or  mine.  There  's  always  a  chance  that 

137 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

some  evil-minded  person  might  try  to  poison  a 
watch-dog,  so,  setting  the  store  I  do  by  Krumm, 
I  have  taken  due  precautions." 

She  went  on  her  way  and  De  Heem  started  on 
his  walk,  inclined  rather  more  than  he  had  been 
to  his  son's  idea  that  this  was  not  wax  he  had  to 
deal  with. 

When  he  was  gone  Vrouw  de  Heem  came 
fussily  down  and  out  to  the  kitchen. 

"Is  breakfast  ready?"  she  asked.  "Have  you 
a  tea-board  and  a  fair  cloth  to  spread  upon  it? 
I  always  carry  Carolus  his  jogolato  to  his  room." 

"Indeed !"  said  Metje.  "There  's  no  jogolato 
here  for  lazy  lubbers.  Our  breakfast  is  suppawn 
and  milk,  fresh  and  unskimmed." 

"No  more  than  that?"  The  Vrouw  de  Heem 
was  taken  aback.  "No  kaffef  No  fish?  No 
tasties  to  tempt  the  sluggish  appetite  ?  O  Judith, 
what  will  your  uncle  say?" 

"The  Here  was  quick  to  chide  our  luxury  last 
night,"  Metje  answered  for  her  mistress.  "Sure- 
ly then  must  he  commend  our  economies  to-day." 

"Here  de  Heem,  as  a  stranger  in  my  house, 
will,  I  am  sure,  be  the  last  to  carp  at  its  manage- 
ment," said  Judith. 

138 


VISITORS  ARRIVE  FROM  PATRIA 

"I  would  never  have  thought  you  could  grow 
so  heartless,"  Vrouw  de  Heem  declared,  ignoring 
Metje  and  dabbing  at  her  eyes  as  if  she  expected 
to  find  tears  flowing  from  them.  "Of  a  surety 
you  should  feel  grateful  that  we  have  rushed  to 
your  aid  across  these  many  leagues  of  ocean ;  yet 
you  speak  of  your  dear  uncle  as  if  he  were  a 
stranger,  nor  give  a  thought  of  gratitude  that 
he  hath  traveled  the  seas  to  help  you." 

"The  Here  de  Heem  is  almost  unknown  to  me, 
nor  is  he  my  uncle,"  Judith  reminded  her.  "It 
would  seem  a  familiarity  so  to  style  one  I  have 
scarce  seen  in  all  my  life  before." 

"He  is  my  husband,"  snapped  Vrouw  de  Heem. 
"I  desire  that  you  treat  him  with  respect;  but  also 
with  affection."  Her  show  of  spirit  was  short- 
lived. "I  beg  you,  Judith,  for  my  sake  to  call  him 
'oom' "  she  implored,  her  easy  tears  brimming 
from  her  eyes,  "and  be  kind  to  Carolus.  Can 
you  not  at  least  give  me  some  good  beer,  for  this, 
his  first  morning  here  ?" 

"We  've  scharre  bier  a-plenty,"  Metje  put  in, 
afraid  that  Judith  would  relent;  "but  'tis  a 
thought  sour.  I  know  not  how  it  will  sit  on  his 
stomach  with  suppawn  and  new  milk.  .  .  .  I  've 

139 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

made  ready  the  board.     Shall  I  take  it  to  his 
chamber  ?" 

"No,  no!"  the  vrouw  answered  hurriedly. 
"  'T  is  my  joy  to  wait  upon  him."  She  looked 
down  at  the  meager  contents  of  the  tray  with 
considerable  irritation.  "Have  you  no  pounded 
sugar  to  go  with  the  suppawn?  This  is  beggar's 
fare  you  offer  your  guests." 

"There  is  pounded  sugar,"  Judith  hastened  to 
assure  her,  lest  Metje  deny  her  even  that.  "Metje 
has  put  maple-sugar  on  the  tray  because  we 
prefer  it  to  white;  but  I  will  add  a  little  of  that 
too,  in  case  the  Jonchere  de  Heem  likes  not  the 
flavor  of  our  wild  sugar." 

This  done,  Vrouw  de  Heem  took  up  the  tray 
and  waddled  off  with  it  soon  to  come  back 
wreathed  in  smiles. 

"He  likes  well  the  maple-sugar,"  she  announced 
proudly.  "He  wonders  why  we  serve  no  suppawn 
in  Patria.  He  thinks  the  milk  much  wholesomer 
than  jogolato.  Also  he  hath  slept  sweetly  and 
hath  a  brave  appetite." 

"Now  that  is  right  good  news,"  said  Metje 
ironically,  while  Judith  looked  up,  surprised. 
She  had  expected  complaints  from  Carolus. 

140 


VISITORS  ARRIVE  FROM  PATRIA 

She  was  not  disappointed  of  her  complaints, 
however,  when  Here  de  Heem  returned  and  they 
sat  down  to  table.  He  was  in  a  most  villainous 
temper,  liked  naught  that  was  set  before  him. 
and,  making  but  half  a  meal,  pushed  back  his 
chair  and  demanded  an  immediate  interview  with 
Judith. 

"Already  I  have  told  myself  that  I  have  much 
that  must  be  made  plain  to  you,"  the  girl  said 
steadily.  "Mayhap  you  will  walk  in  the  garden 
and  enjoy  a  smoke  while  I  help  clear  away.  Then 
I  will  be  at  your  service." 

"I  am  in  no  mind  to  be  kept  waiting,"  Here  de 
Heem  snarled.  "  'T  is  your  housework  must 
wait.  Or  your  aunt  can  give  your  woman  a 
hand,  if  help  she  needs  must  have." 

"If  there  is  such  urgent  haste,"  Judith  said 
gravely,  "my  work  assuredly  can  wait;  but  I 
desire  that  my  aunt  shall  be  present  at  our  inter- 
view. To  my  thinking  she  is  as  deeply  concerned 
in  it  as  you  or  I." 

Carolus,  coming  down  the  stairs  with  a  chess- 
board under  his  arm,  heard  these  words  with 
amusement.  Assuredly  this  little  provincial  had 
spirit. 

141 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"I  '11  not  go  a  step  unless  Carolus  comes  too," 
the  Vrcniw  de  Heem  quavered,  holding-  out  a 
hand  to  her  favorite,  who  took  it  and  patted  it 
reassuringly. 

"Any  one  more  useless  than  I  at  a  business 
conference  it  would  be  hard  to  find,"  he  said, 
"but,  if  I  may  spread  out  my  board  on  a  table  in 
some  corner,  I  have  a  problem  to  work  on  and  will 
try  to  be  in  no  one's  way."  He  looked  at  Judith 
as  he  spoke.  The  girl  made  no  protest.  His 
presence  or  absence  was  a  matter  of  utter  indif- 
ference to  her;  so  he  sauntered  after  them  into 
the  office  and,  establishing  himself  at  one  end  of 
the  room,  set  a  number  of  carved  and  jeweled 
chessmen  before  him  and  soon  seemed  deep  in 
his  problem. 

Here  de  Heem,  however,  could  hardly  wait 
to  see  them  all  seated  ere  he  burst  into  angry 
speech. 

"What,  may  I  ask,  is  the  meaning  of  the  news 
that  met  me  this  morning  ?  I  was  greeted  by  an 
old  friend  near  the  Whitehall  who  told  me  there 
was  great  gossip  in  the  town  of  a  mad  will  your 
father  left  expressly  cutting  us  off  from  the 
management  of  your  affairs?" 

142 


VISITORS  ARRIVE  FROM  PATRIA 

Carolus's  hand,  hovering  over  his  board  with 
a  pawn  in  it,  remained  poised  in  the  air  a  moment : 
then  the  pawn  was  quietly  set  in  place  and  he 
seemed  sunk  in  contemplation  of  his  next  move. 
His  stepmother,  her  chair  pushed  as  near  his  as 
possible,  watched  him  with  doting  eyes;  but  the 
other  two,  the  contest  well  begun,  had  no  thought 
for  aught  else. 

"My  father  made  a  will  expressly  freeing  -me 
from  the  control  of  the  Lords  Orphan  Masters," 
said  Judith.  "There  was  no  mention  of  you  in 
the  matter,  and  no  slight  "intended." 

"In  that  case,"  Here  de  Heem  strove  to  speak 
amicably,  "you  will  naturally  move  to  have  the 
will  set  aside  and  to  have  us  appointed  your 
guardians  under  the  law." 

Judith  hesitated.  Here  was  a  suggestion  hard 
to  parry  without  offense. 

"I  must  thank  you  for  your  kind  interest  in 
my  affairs,"  she  said  at  length,  "but  it  is  too  late. 
Already  have  I  taken  over  the  ordering  of  my 
own  business." 

"That  was  a  mistake,  but  one  that  there  is  still 
time  to  rectify,"  De  Heem  declared.  "Doubtless 
your  father  hesitated  to  call  me  from  Europe; 

143 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

but,  now  that  I  am  here,  he  would  wish  me  to 
direct  you.     That  you  can  readily  understand." 

Again  Judith  was  slow  in  answering.  She 
preferred  not  to  be  brutally  direct  if  it  could  be 
avoided. 

"My  father  gave  me  very  exact  instructions/' 
she  said  at  last,  "which  I  am  carrying  out  to  the 
best  of  my  ability." 

"To  the  best  of  your  ability!"  Here  de  Heem 
laughed  slightingly.  "There  you  have  said  it. 
How  could  you,  an  inexperienced  maiden,  be  ex- 
pected to  have  the  ability  to  sell  your  father's 
rich  stores  and  possessions?" 

"But  I  have  sold  them,"  Judith  murmured. 
(How  she  longed  for  even  Metje's  friendly  sup- 
port at  that  moment  no  one  can  ever  know.) 

Here  de  Heem  jumped  to  his  feet  angrily,  send- 
ing his  chair  over  backward  with  a  crash. 

"You  have  disposed  of  all  the  goods?"  he 
shouted.  "Was  there  ever  such  madness  ?  This 
matter  must  be  looked  into.  Has  aught  been  re- 
moved from  the  premises  yet?" 

"I  think  not,"  Judith  acknowledged.  "I  Ve 
been  listening  for  the  carriers  and  have  heard 
nothing." 

144 


VISITORS  ARRIVE  FROM  PATRIA 

•"Then,"  said  Here  de  Heem,  rubbing  his  hands, 
"it  is  not  too  late,  it  will  be  easy  enough,  in 
view  of  your  age,  to  have  this  bargain  set  aside. 
We  shall  refuse  admittance  to  any  attempting  to 
take  aught  away.  Carolus,  leave  your  game. 
You  may  be  of  use  here." 

But  Carolus  still  puzzled  over  his  chess-board 
as  if  he  had  not  heard,  and  it  was  Judith  who 
stayed  De  Heem's  bustling  progress  toward  the 
door. 

"I  have  no  wish  or  intention  of  breaking  my 
bargain,"  she  declared;  and  her  aunt  gave  a  little 
moan  of  protest  at  such  a  defiance.  "I  sold  for 
more  than  my  father  told  me  I  could  expect,  and 
I  have  been  paid  in  full  in  good,  broad  pieces. 
What  possible  complaint  have  I?" 

Here  de  Heem  stopped  in  his  tracks,  his  mouth 
opening  and  shutting  like  that  of  a  fish  out  of 
water  and  his  eyes  bulging  like  a  hooked  cod's. 

"Where,  then,  is  this  great  sum  of  money?" 
he  gasped. 

"In  the  care  of  the  Here  van  Bursum,"  Judith 
told  him  shortly. 

At  the  end  of  the  room  Carolus  rose  and 
stretched  himself  delicately  like  a  cat;  indeed  all 

145 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

his  movements  were  graceful,  and  he  was  dark 
and  slender,  more  like  a  Frenchman  than  a  Dutch 
burgher. 

"Check!"  he  said  to  his  mother  in  an  under- 
tone, pointing  to  his  chess-board,  while  she  smiled 
fondly  at  his  success. 


146 


CHAPTER  XI 

IN  WHICH  A  CHESS  PROBLEM  REMAINETH 
UNSOLVED 

NO  one  but 'his  stepmother  heeding,  Carolus 
sat  down  and  once  more  puzzled  over  his 
pieces. 

"Now  it  is  indeed  time  that  we  came  to  an 
understanding,"  said  De  Heem.  "If  you  know 
it  not,  let  me  tell  you  that  the  loss  of  the  Great 
Mogul  left  your  father  in  debt  to  my  wife  and 
me  for  the  amount  of  the  moneys  he  had  urged 
us  to  advance.  This  was  a  modest  fortune,  and 
not  one  stuyver  of  it  had  been  repaid  at  the  time 
of  your  father's  fatal  attack.  Therefore" — he 
drew  a  long  breath, — "the  gold  you  speak  of  is 
mine,  and  I  demand  that  you  at  once  give  me  an 
order  on  the  Here  van  Bursum  for  it." 

For  a  space  Judith's  determination  wavered, 
and  her  hesitancy  was  evident  in  her  attitude. 
Her  disposition  was  impetuous,  and  it  would  have 
been  a  great  weight  off  her  mind  to  be  rid  of  these 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

creditors.  There  was,  she  felt  sure,  enough 
money  in  the  Here  van  Bursum's  care  to  buy  her 
release  from  this  man's  presence  if  she  bargained 
with  him  shrewdly;  but  such  had  not  been  her 
dying  father's  commands.  Considering  her 
course,  she  stood  in  momentary  silence,  only 
glancing  up  when  the  sense  of  eyes  upon  her  drew 
her  gaze.  Carolus  was  looking  fixedly  across 
his  chess-board  at  her,  and,  as  his  eyes  met  hers*, 
he  shook  his  head  gravely. 

"I  do  not  think  that  a  wise  move,"  he  said. 
"Nothing  would  be  gained  by  it." 

"What  move  do  you  speak  of,  Carolus?"  De 
Heem  asked  impatiently.  "You  know  naught  of 
this  matter." 

Carolus  opened  wide  his  eyes  as  if  in  amaze- 
ment. 

"Assuredly  not,  sir,"  he  replied.  "I  know  less 
than  naught  of  business.  I  spoke  of  my  problem 
on  the  board  here.  If  I  throw  away  this  piece  I 
get  in  exchange  that.  But  what  will  it  profit  me 
when  the  balance  is  still  against  me  ?  My  chess- 
master  told  me  that,  with  skill,  white,  which  seems 
the  'weaker  here,  should  mate  in  eight  moves  due 
to  superior  position — " 

148 


A  CHESS  PROBLEM  UNSOLVED 

"Give  over  your  chattering,"  his  father  said 
impatiently.  "There  is  business  toward." 

Leaving  his  pieces  where  they  lay,  Carolus  got 
up  and  lounged  out  of  the  room,  saying  mildly 
over  his  shoulder  as  he  went : 

"I  warned  you  I  was  of  no  use  in  such  cases." 

Even  his  mother  made  no  effort  to  stop  him, 
and  De  Heem,  looking  in  the  inkwell  to  make  sure 
it  was  filled,  pushed  it  toward  Judith  and  trimmed 
her  a  pen. 

"Write  me  the  order,"  he  commanded.  But 
Judith  had  had  time  to  think.  What  had  been 
Salvador  Dacosta's  words?  "There  are  two 
sorts  of  fools,  one  who  pays  too  late  and  one  who 
pays  too  soon." 

Her  mind  now  fully  made  up,  she  set  the  pen 
back  on  the  rack. 

"It  is  my  intention  that  you  should  be  paid," 
she  said,  "all  in  good  time.  But  there  is,  as  you 
know,  a  period  allowed  for  the  settlement  of  an 
estate.  At  the  end  of  that  all  creditors  receive 
their  just  proportion." 

"Then  it  is  your  idea  that  your  father  died  a 
bankrupt,  unable  to  pay  his  lawful  debts  in  full 
— a  thief  protected  only  by  our  too  lenient  laws?" 

149 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

Judith  flushed  deeply  at  these  words,  and  her 
aunt  began  to  sob  into  her  handkerchief. 

"Why  should  you  wish  to  pay  strangers  before 
your  own  kith  and  kin?"  she  whimpered.  "I 
should  think  it  would  pleasure  you  greatly  to  do 
as  your  Oom  Claes  desires." 

"Lest  there  be  any  misunderstanding,"  Judith 
returned,  "let  me  make  myself  clear  to  you.  I 
intend  to  pay  all  my  father  owes,  even  as  he  would 
have  done  had  he  lived.  No  one  shall  be  able  to 
cast  a  slur  upon  his  good  name.  In  all  the  years 
he  traded  from  this  port  no  one  was  a  guilder  the 
worse  for  dealing  with  him.  'Honest  Van  TaaiT 
he  was  called.  Honest  Van  Taarl  he  lived  and 
died.  Think  you  his  daughter  would  see  his 
good  name  smirched  after  his  death?  I  'd  die 
myself  first!" 

Here  de  Heem  paid  no  attention  to  this  out- 
burst, his  thoughts  still  busy  over  Judith's  pos- 
sessions. 

"What  else  of  value  had  your  father?"  he 
asked,  "and  how  quickly  can  all  be  converted 
into  money?  I  have  no  desire  to  spend  my  life  in 
this  wilderness.  First  there  's  this  house.  We 

150 


A  CHESS  PROBLEM  UNSOLVED 

might,  perchance,  take  it  in  partial  payment  of 
our  claims." 

Judith  rose,  determined  to  make  an  end  of  the 
matter. 

"You  can  go  home  when  you  wish,"  she  said 
coldly.  "When  the  time  allowed  is  up,  if  I  have 
failed  to  pay  every  stuyver  my  father  owed,  then 
may  an  inquisition  be  made  into  his  affairs  to  see 
if  there  is  aught  unaccounted  for.  As  to  this 
house,  it  is  mine  nor  ever  was  my  father's." 

"And  pray,"  De  Heem  said  suspiciously,  "how 
can  that  be?  This  is  some  cunning  jobbery  to 
keep  valuables  out  of  the  accounting." 

Judith's  lip  curled  at  this  unworthy  suspicion. 

"Were  it  in  my  power  to  sell  it,"  she  declared, 
"I  would  not  grudge  even  the  roof  over  my  head, 
but  this  house  was  strictly  entailed  by  my  mother's 
father.  I  regret  that  you  must  reconcile  your- 
selves to  being  my  guests  even  as  my  own  father 
was." 

She  started  to  go  out ;  then-paused  for  a  moment 
on  the  threshold. 

"I  can  promise  you  only  short  commons  here; 
for,  until  all  is  paid,  I  purpose  keeping  expenses 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

at  the  minimum.  Ycm  will  have  your  coin  as 
surely  whether  you  go  or  stay.  Why  do  you 
not  return  to  Patria  ?;> 

De  Heem  stared  at  her  appraisingly ;  then  burst 
into  a  sardonic  laugh. 

"You  look  only  on  one  side  of  the  picture,"  he 
said.  "Here  then  is  the  other.  Your  father 
begged  our  money  for  this  great  venture,  vowing 
there  was  no  risk.  Believing  him,  I  advanced 
too  much  for  our  -means.  You  have  a  care  for 
the  honor  of  your  father,  dead.  I  have  a  care 
for  the  honor  of  Claes  de  Heem,  living.  I  shall 
not  go  back  to  Holland  until  I  can  look  those  who 
trusted  me  in  the  face  and  pay  them  every 'guilder 
I  owe  them.  Indeed  I  have  not  the  passage 
money  an  I  wished  to -go." 

Vrouw  de  Heem's  eyes  widened  as  he  talked. 
Now  she  cast  her  apron  over  her  head  and  blub- 
bered." 

"Oh,  wae,  wae!"  she  sobbed.  "Where  did 
Carolus  go?  Bid  him  come  to  me.  Never  did 
you  tell  us  this,  before." 

"Nor  should  I  have  told  you  now  had  it  not 
been  necessary  to  make  things  plain  to  this  stiff- 
necked  meisje,"  said  De  Heem  spitefully;  "and  I 

152 


A  CHESS  PROBLEM  UNSOLVED 

forbid  you  both  to  mention  it  to  Carolus.  When 
we  are  paid,  as  I  mean  to  see  we  are,  there  will  be 
naught  to  weep  over ;  and  then,  and  then  only,  will 
you  be  rid  of  us." 

"You  are  forgetting,"  his  wife  gulped,  as  Ju- 
dith left  them  alone  together,  "the  other  plan, 
about  whfch  letters  passed  between  my  brother 
and  me." 

"I  fopget  nothing,"  said  her  husband,  "but  I 
must  see  my  way  clear  before  -I  broach  that  plan. 
Meanwhile  for  once  thy  slobbering  has  served  its 
purpose.  Judith  will  hardly  doubt  that  we  are 
at  the  end  of  our  resources." 

"And  are  we  not?"  asked  his  wife,  mopping 
her  eyes  diligently. 

"Had  you  the  brains  of  a  flea,  which  I  am  told 
can  be  roomily  lodged  on  the  point  of  a  pin,  you 
would  know  that  we  are  not.  But 't  is  a  wise  pre- 
caution to  make  her  think  we  have  empty  pockets ; 
so  say  nothing  to  warn  her  to  the  contrary.  And 
now  get  you  to  the  kitchen  and  cajole  Metje  into 
heating  up  what  was  left  of  last  night's  pie.  An 
I  do  not  stow  something  within  my  stomach  soon, 
I  am  like  to  murder  yon  handsome  spitfire  ere 
dinner  is  done/' 

153 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

Meanwhile  Judith  had  gone  to  the  garden  to 
find  Nan  busy  with  her  lesson  and  Carolus  march- 
ing up  and  down  the  path  in  the  sun,  Krumm  at 
his  side.  She  watched  him  a  trifle  maliciously, 
expecting  him  to  be  made  nervous  by  such  close 
attendance;  and  Nan,  looking  up,  read  her  face. 

"There  's  no  fun  to  be  got  out  of  him,"  she  said. 
"He  loveth  Krumm.  He  said  he  had  a  dog  like 
to  him  once,  Henri  Quatre  by  name." 

"Art  sure  it  was  not  a  lap-dog  like  Mistress 
Homan's?"  Judith  laughed,  not  able  to  keep  a 
certain  contempt  out  of  her  tone. 

"Don't  you  like  your  cousin?"  asked  Nan  in 
surprise.  "He  is  a  very  pretty  gentleman. 
Prettier  even  than  Tom  Lane." 

"Oh,"  Judith  returned  vaguely,  "I  don't  Enow. 
I  don't  think  I  ever  looked  at  him." 

"He  has  looked  at  you,"  Nan  said.  "When  you 
were  in  the  office  I  came  within,  seeking  for  you, 
and  he  scarce  took  his  eyes  from  your  face  for 
all  he  pretended  to  be  playing  with  his  chess- 
board." 

"Nonsense!"  said  Judith,  unaccountably  an- 
noyed at  the  child's  babble.  "Set  to  your  lesson, 
Nan,  or  you  '11  never  have  done." 

154 


A  CHESS  PROBLEM  UNSOLVED 

"It  is  no  nonsense,"  the  child  averred  stoutly, 
"for  I  asked  him  if  he  did  n't  think  you  were  very 
pretty,  and  he  said  you  were  the  first  red  Indian 
ever  he  had  met  and  he  would  not  fail  to  let  me 
know  his  decisions  concerning  you  when  he  had 
studied  you  sufficiently  to  form  an  opinion.  So 
you  see  he  was  studying  you.  He  thought  I  was 
a  red  Indian  too,  but  I  told  him  right  quickly  that 
I  was  English,  and  you  were  not  at  all  like  any  of 
the  wilden  ever  I  saw.  I  thought  that  you  were 
Dutch,  but  remembering  that  he  was  your  cousin 
I  minded  my  manners  and  did  not  contradict  him." 

"He  is  not  my  cousin,  Nan,  nor  will  he  ever 
know  aught  about  me,"  Judith  declared  haughtily. 

"Now  I  am  sure  you  do  not  like  him,"  Nan 
cried,  "but  I  do,  and  Robin  will  too." 

"How  is  Robin?"  Judith  asked,  to  change  the 
subject. 

"He  's  well,"  the  child  said,  "although  I  fear 
I  did  wrong  to  let  him  engage  himself  in  the  strife 
of  yesterday.  Robin  hath  such  a  love  of  adven- 
ture in  his  blood  that  once  't  is  started  boiling  is 
hard  to  stay  till  it  hath  boiled  over  and  put  out  the 
fire." 

"I  would  greatly  regret  that  he  fell  into  bad 

155 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

ways  because  of  me,"  Judith  said.  "Is  there 
naught  I  can  do  to  hold  him  back?" 

"You  talked  of  wanting  a  man  to  work  among 
the  flowers  and  vegetables,"  Nan  returned. 
"Now  I  knew  it  not  before,  but  Robin  hath  a  great 
love  for  flowers.  When  he  heard  you  had  need 
of  such  a  man  he  asked  me  to  speak  for  him  for 
the  place.  It  is  not  money  he  needs  but 
Occupation;  at  least  that  is  what  he  said." 

"Tell  Nurse  Kate  to  send  him  to  me.  Work 
would  at  least  be  this  much  help  that  he  would 
have  less  time  for  mischief,"  Judith  said  readily, 
thinking  also  that  here  would  be  her  chance  to 
fulfil  her  useless  promise  to  the  Governor's  lady. 

"Oh,  he's  ever  busy,"  Nan  told  her.  "He 
makes  boats  for  the  boys  and  toys  for  all  of  us. 
But  he  will  come  at  once  I  know." 

Robin,  sent  by  Nan,  presented  himself  at  the 
kitchen  door  that  afternoon  before  dusk.  Metje 
could  scarce  believe  her  eyes,  so  great  was  the 
change  in  him.  Gone  were  his  mustache,  his  ear- 
ring, and  the  other  remnants  of  pirate  finery. 
Instead  he  wore  a  clean  linen  paltrok,  broad 
breeches  of  fustian,  and  \vell  darned  stockings 

156 


A  CHESS  PROBLEM  UNSOLVED 

thrust  into  wooden  shoes,  all  such  as  any  boor 
laboring  by  the  day  for  his  bread  might  wear. 

"Save  us !"  cried  Metje  when  she  had  made  out 
who  he  was.  "Almost  ye  look  like  a  Christian 
and  not  a  bloodthirsty  sea-robber."  But  her  tone 
was  more  than  a  little  disappointed,  and  Robin 
laughed  understandingly. 

"This  garb  smacks  less  of  adventure,"  said  he, 
"yet,  for  the  present,  't  is  safer.  My  sister  hath 
the  right  of  it  when  she  tells  me  I  am  not  content 
unless  I  thrust  my  neck  within  the  noose.  I  could 
have  gone  with  the  young  master  the  other  day 
and  enjoyed  the  fun  of  the  play  without  any  need 
to  trick  myself  out  like  a  gentleman  rover.  Yet, 
if  I  had  not,  perchance  you  would  never  have 
looked  twice  my  way." 

"Take  that  for  your  sauce!"  cried  Metje,  out- 
raged, bestowing  a  ringing  box  on  his  ear. 
"Who  is  there  bold  enough  to  say  I  looked  at 
you  at  all?" 

"Not  I,  forsooth,"  Robin  ruefully  rubbed  the 
side  of  his  head,  "but,  if  you  did  n't  look  at  me 
others  did;  for  my  Lady  Bellomont  hath  lost  no 
time  in  ordering  that  I  be  found  and  brought  to 
the  Governor's  mansion.  Such  being  the  case, 

157 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

Robin  Marrow  sailed  with  the  tide  this  morning 
on  the  flute-ship  Angel  of  Peace  for  Boston  town 
and  the  Maine.  I  am  Simon  Gobbet,  an  it  please 
you,  come  to  ask  the  Juffer  for  a  little  honest 
work." 

"Simon  Gobbet,"  sniffed  Metje,  "  't  is  a  name 
suits  ye  fine.  Simple  Simon,  I  shall  tell  the 
meisje,  waits  upon  her." 

She  flounced  out  of  the  room  while  Robin  sat 
touching  his  ear  tenderly  as  if  he  liked  to  make 
sure  it  still  grew  beside  his  face. 

Metje  found  her  young  mistress  in  the  voor- 
huis  engaged  in  another  controversy  with  Here 
de  Heem,  and  so  waited  politely  within  the  door 
till  such  time  as  she  should  receive  permission  to 
speak. 

"In  fine,"  De  Heem  was  saying.  "  Jt  is  plain  that 
a  chit  of  a  girl  cannot  be  capable  of  carrying  on 
such  great  affairs.  This  you  have  proved,  hav- 
ing already,  doubtless,  lost  us  much  money  by 
your  hasty  and  ill-considered  action  in  selling  out 
the  stores.  Wherefore  I  have  determined  to  lay 
in  a  stock  of  goods  on  credit  to  reopen  the  busi- 
ness of  the  Sign  of  the  Barrel  and  Bale.  Be  so 

158 


A  CHESS  PROBLEM  UNSOLVED 

good  as  to  pass  over  the  keys  of  the  store  and  the 
office  to  me." 

For  a  moment  Judith  stood  fingering  her  chat- 
elaine. Then  she  went  to  the  office  door  and 
locked  it,  not  defiantly  but  with  quiet  determin- 
ation; and,  equally  quietly,  she  turned  and  faced 
her  visitor. 

"I  regret,"  she  began  in  a  voice  that  trembled 
slightly,  "to  seem  ever  in  opposition  to  you.  My 
instructions  from  my  father  leave  me  no  choice. 
Had  it  not  been  for  his  express  orders  I  could 
doubtless  have  sold  the  good-will  here  for  some- 
thing substantial ;  but  he  commanded  the  business 
closed.  Closed  it  is,  and  so  it  shall  stay." 

"Your  father,  when  he  gave  such  commands, 
did  not  consider  the  possibility  of  my  coming 
here/'  Here  de  Heem  began. 

"Please !"  Judith  held  up  her  hand.  "He  con- 
sidered— everything!"  She  turned  from  him 
with  decision.  "What  is  it,  Metje?" 

"A  gardener  is  here  to  speak  to  you,  meisje, 
Simple  Simon,  by  name." 

"You  will  excuse — "  The  girl  followed  Metje 
from  the  room.  "Was  it  but  a  device  to  get  me 

159 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

away?"    she    whispered.     "I    know    no    Simple 
Simon." 

"Indeed,  no,"  Metje  sniffed.  "  T  is  that  great 
oaf,  Robin.  He  claims  her  ladyship  hath  run- 
ners looking  for  him,  so  't  is  needful  to  conceal 
his  name  and  station.  'T  is  to  a  certainty  a  huge 
lie;  but,  as  in  duty  bound,  I  tell  it  you  as  he  told 
me." 

"Nay,  then,"  Judith  spoke  anxiously,  "I  fear  it 
is  no  lie,  but  let's  to  Robin." 

They  found  him  on  the  kitchen  stoep  still  lov- 
ingly fingering  his  ear. 

"What  is  it,  Robin?"  Judith  demanded,  anx- 
ious for  news  of  Lady  Bellomont's  plans. 

"Something  buzzed  by  my  ear,"  he  spoke  as 
a  man  with  a  grievance,  "and  stung  it  sorely. 
Faith,  it  still  rings  as  if  a  whole  swarm  were  loose 
in  my  head." 

'T  was  naught  but  a  bee,"  Judith  suggested. 
"They  are  busy  at  the  hives  along  the  house,  now 
that  spring  is  almost  here." 

"Perchance    you  're    right,"    Robin    conceded 
meekly,   avoiding  Metje's  truculent  eyes,   "but 
why  should  it  pick  on  me,  who  had  not  tried  to 
steal  its  honey?" 

160 


A  CHESS  PROBLEM  UNSOLVED 

Metje  greeted  this  with  a  great  clatter  of  cop- 
pers and  frying-pans,  intended  to  assure  him  that 
she  had  heard  none  of  his  remarks,  and  Judith 
hastened  to  turn  his  mind  from  what  she  thought 
a  very  trivial  injury  for  a  bold  buccaneer  to  make 
such  a  to-do  over. 

"Tell  me  what  leads  you  to  think  you  are 
wanted  at  the  Governor's  house?"  she  questioned. 

"There 's  no  doubt  of  it,"  Robin  returned 
readily.  "One  of  the  runners  was  a  messmate 
of  mine.  He  came  in  haste  to  warn  me  to  be  off, 
so  I  signed  on  the  flute-ship  and  am  now  well  out 
of  sight  of  land,  as  her  ladyship  will  have  heard. 
This  man  you  see  before  you  is  Simon  Gobbet, 
honest  yeoman,  at  your  service." 

"Simpleton  Gobbet,"  came  a  mutter  from  with- 
in the  kitchen.  "Faith,  it  will  be  easy  to  call  him 
that.  It  fits  him  to  a  T." 

Judith  suppressed  a  smile,  and  so  perchance 
did  Robin. 

"Know  you  why  her  ladyship  sent  in  search 
of  you?"  the  girl  asked  anxiously. 

"I  do  not  know,  but  I  can  guess,"  Robin  said. 
"We  none  of  us  scorn  wealth,  but  thank  the  Lord 
there  be  none  in  my  rank  of  life  so  careless  how 

161 


they  get  it  as  are  those  in  high  places.  An  honest 
pirate  must  hide  well  his  hard-won  takings,  else 
will  he  be  robbed  of  all  he  hath  set  aside  for  his 
old  age.  Doubtless  that  prating  dog-boy  blabbed 
of  what  he  carted.  Thinking  it  mine,  her  lady- 
ship sought  to  share  with  me  or  else,  with  eyes 
upturned  to  Heaven,  to  seize  all  for  the  state." 

"But,  Robin,"  Judith  suggested,  "if  perchance 
there  is  a  reward  for  your  capture — " 

"I  'm  safe  enough.  The  scent  is  lost,  I  'm 
sure.  Measuring  well  the  length  of  his  tongue, 
I  had  the  dog-boy  carry  my  sea-chest  to  the 
water's  edge  to  be  taken  aboard  the  Angel  of 
Peace."  Robin  winked  prodigiously,  relishing 
his  own  cunning.  "He  '11  spread  the  news 
abroad." 

When  Judith  would  have  protested  further,  he 
silenced  her  with  a  great  show  of  bravado. 

"A  man  is  only  happy  when  he  smells  danger. 
The  thought  of  it  sends  his  blood  coursing 
through  his  veins;  but,  an  you  would  have  me 
safe  from  harm,  I  pray  you  give  me  work.  My 
best  friend  would  not  know  me  behind  a  spade." 

So  it  arranged  itself,  and  soon  it  seemed  that 
162 


A  CHESS  PROBLEM  UNSOLVED 

Simon  had  always  been  a  part  of  their  house- 
hold. 

He  was  trimming  some  bushes  near  the  stoep 
one  day  when  the  elder  De  Heem,  fresh  from  a 
disagreement  with  Judith,  came  down  the  steps 
and  blundered  into  him  at  the  turn.  Without  so 
much  as  a  glance  at  the  boor,  De  Heem  cursed 
him  for  a  clumsy  hind  and  went  on  his  way ;  but 
Robin  straightened  up  and  looked  after  him  in 
surprise. 

"Now  that,"  he  said,  scratching  his  head,  "is  a 
face  I  little  thought  to  see  again.  But  was  I  not 
clever  when  I  said  none  would  know  me  at  such 
work?" 


163 


CHAPTER    XII 

IN  WHICH  A  LADY  GROWS  IMPATIENT 

ONE  afternoon  Tom  Lane,  who  had  been  in 
New  England  on  an  errand  for  his  father 
for  the  week  after  the  De  Heems'  coming  and 
hence  knew  nothing  of  the  arrivals  from  Patria, 
hurried  to  the  house  full  of  a  strange  adven- 
ture. He  knocked  hastily  and,  impatient  of  de- 
lay, laid  his  hand  on  the  latch  and  Dpened  the 
door. 

"Judith!"  he  called.     "Nan,  where  are  you?" 

The  voorhuis  was  deserted,  and  he  crossed  to 
look  into  the  office  where  the  lessons  were  often 
held.  The  door  was  locked  and  he  rattled  it 
noisily. 

"Give  over  your  jesting,"  he  called  more  loudly. 
"I  have  strange  news  for  your  ears." 

Nobody  answering  he  turned  and  was  about  to 
try  his  luck  in  the  kitchen,  when  a  movement  on 
the  stair  drew  his  attention  that  way  to  find  a 

164 


A  LADY  GROWS  IMPATIENT 

strange  lady  standing  half-way  down,  staring  at 
him.  For  a  moment  he  eyed  her*  in  surprise; 
then  quite  unconscious  of  offense,  he  asked: 

"Is  aught  wrong,  madam?  Seemingly  I  can 
make  no  one  hear  me." 

"Fear  not  for  that,"  the  lady  replied  tartly. 
"Your  shouts  would  raise  the  dead.  But  as  it 
happens  my  niece  is  not  here.  Your  news  must 
wait." 

Tom  Lane  being  a  personable  young  man  and 
friendly  withal,  was  not  accustomed  to  such 
treatment  as  he  now  received.  The  lady  turned 
on  the  stair  with  some  difficulty,  presenting  a 
figure  that  he  likened  to  two  short,  well-stuffed 
links  of  sausage,  and  ponderously  ascended 
again  to  the  floor  above. 

Tom  was  left,  mouth  open,  eyes  lifted,  to  the 
enjoyment  of  his  own  company. 

For  a  moment  he  stood  as  if  rooted;  then  he 
swung  on  his  heel  and  passed  into  the  kitchen,  as 
he  had  intended  to  do  before  the  recent  in- 
terruption. It,  too,  was  empty.  However,  going 
out  by  that  door,  he  at  last  discovered  Metje, 
directing  a  man  who  was  spading  a  stretch  of 
ground  to  the  rear. 

165 


He  went  to  her  at  once,  restrained  from  calling 
by  the  hint  he  had  received  indoors. 

"This,"  said  she,  not  waiting  for  Tom  to  speak, 
"is  our  new  man,  Simple  Simon  by  name  and  the 
same  by  nature.  1  fear,  when  planting  time 
comes,  he  will  set  out  tulips  to  eat  instead  of 
onions  an  I  am  not  by  to  lesson  him." 

Simple  Simon  continued  at  his  recently  ac- 
quired trade  after  pulling  his  forelock  in  ac- 
knowledgment of  the  introduction. 

"In  truth,"  he  mumbled,  "I  do  be  needin'  a  lot 
of  schoolin'.  Metje  will  have  to  stand  between 
me  and  many  a  ratin'." 

Metje  sniffed  disdainfully,  and  Tom  inter- 
rupted the  yokel's  maunderings  to  ask  impa- 
tiently, "Where  have  they  gone  and  who  is  the 
strange  dame?  Why  did  Judith  not  warn  me 
her  aunt  was  coming  a-visiting?" 

"Sakes  alive,"  said  Metje,  "if  you  know  't  is 
her  aunt  why  ask  me  who  she  is  ?  And  the  juffer 
has  but  walked  home  with  Nan." 

She  had  time  to  say  no  more,  for  Tom  was  off 
like  a  flash,  determined  to  meet  Judith  and  escort 
her  back. 

166 


A  LADY  GROWS  IMPATIENT 

In  the  garden  Robin  lifted  his  bent  back  and 
followed  the  young  man  with  his  eyes. 

"Did  I  not  tell  you  none  would  know  me  behind 
a  spade,"  he  chuckled. 

"You  've  no  time  to  waste  an  you  would  get 
this  plot  mellow  before  night  falls,"  Metje  told 
him. 

"Eh,  then,  the  hard-hearted  woman  you  are," 
he  said  with  a  pretended  sigh,  but  for  all  that 
Robin  returned  to  his  work. 

Meanwhile  Tom,  hastening  on,  met  the  Jas- 
pyn  sisters,  who  stopped  him,  feeling  that 
it  was  scarce  friendly  to  pass  by  this  new 
member  of  their  Company  as  they  would  a 
stranger. 

"  'T  is  growing  so  warm  we  will  soon  have  to 
think  of  our  strawberry  festival,"  Marya  said, 
for  want  of  something  better. 

"Has  your  sister  bought  her  basket?  The 
wilden  are  making  them  in  the  shed  back  of  the 
old  Kierstede  house,"  Blandina  suggested  kindly, 
and  Tom  thanked  her. 

"You  are  new  to  our  ways,  so  I  must  tell  you 
that  you  should  invite  a  maid  to  be  your  partner 

167 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

for  that  day.     Is  it  not  strange  that  Judith  be- 
grudged the  money  for  her  trappings — " 

"If  Judith  goes  at  all,"  Blandina  interrupted 
her  sister,  not  liking  the  turn  her  conversation 
was  taking,  "she  will  have  to  go  with  her  cousin, 
I  suppose." 

"'Twill  be  no  hardship,"  cried  Marya.  "I 
saw  him  at  the  gate  with  her  great  dog  one  day, 
and  later,  having  an  errand  there,  I  met  him. 
Since  then  I  Ve  seen  him  often.  He  is  wonder- 
ful agreeable.  A  most  complete  young  gentle- 
man I  make  sure." 

"I  have  not  had  a  chance  to  see  him  yet," 
Blandina  owned  regretfully,  "but  his  mother 
invited  us  both  to  bring  our  Juffer-bockjes  for 
him  to  write  in.  She  says  he  hath  a  very  pretty 
taste  in  verse  making." 

"I  haven't  met  this  excellent  young  man," 
Tom  said,  ready  to  go  on. 

"Our  Piet  is  planning  to  ask  your  lovely  sister's 
hand  for  the  strawberry  hunt,"  Blandina  called 
as  they  were  moving  off.  "He  will  help  you, 
should  you  want  for  a  partner  one  of  us  you  do 
not  yet  know." 

168 


A  LADY  GROWS  IMPATIENT 

"If  I  must  ask  some  one,"  said  Tom,  "I  shall 
choose  Nan  Roman." 

This  stayed  the  girls'  steps. 

"Nan  Homan!"  exclaimed  Marya,  almost 
stuttering  with  excitement.  "Is  that  not  the 
child  of  Daniel  Homan?  She  is  not  a  member 
of  our  Company." 

"Surely  you  are  jesting,"  Blandina  said. 
"You  know  our  Companies  are  regulated  very 
strictly  by  age.  Even  Marya  was  not  admitted 
without  discussion;  but  she  had  always  played 
with  me  and  my  friends,  so  it  was  decided  that  to 
shut  her  out  as  too  young  would  be  unkind." 

"But  why  should  any  one  want  Nan  Homan?" 
Marya  asked,  bursting  with  surprise  and  curi- 
osity. "Her  father's  reputation — " 

"Because  she 's  sweetly  pretty,"  Tom  inter- 
rupted, not  eager  to  hear  the  repetition  of  stale 
gossip,  "and  I  like  her  well,  but  I  bow  to  your 
customs.  It  was  my  ignorance  made  me  propose 
her." 

Again  the  sisters  started  onward,  but,  once  out 
of 'hearing,  Marya  gasped. 

^Didst  ever  hear  the  like?  A  child  of  Nan 
169 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

Roman's  age  to  be  set  above  all  the  maids  of  our 
Company !  That 's  what  we  get  for  asking 
Uitlanders  to  join  us." 

"To  my  mind  'twas  only  that  Master  Lane 
was  so  undone  at  hearing  that  Judith  would  have 
another  escort,"  Blandina  said,  but  this  was  not 
pleasing  to  Marya. 

"With  you  it  is  ever  Judith,"  she  declared 
crossly.  "Judith  here  and  Judith  there.  One 
might  think  that  no  other  maid  was  ever  born 
with  hair  or  eyes  or  skin,  to  hear  you  talk." 

Blandina  wisely  let  this  pass,  yet  Marya  went 
on. 

"Why  you  set  such  store  by  her  is  a  mystery 
to  me.  Selfish  she  is,  and  close-fisted  as  a  miser, 
as  I  tell  every  one." 

"Marya,"  her  sister  interrupted,  "of  this  I  must 
speak,  for  if  I  cannot  silence  you  myself  I  shall 
ask  moeder  to  take  a  hand  in  the  matter.  Do 
you  not  see  that  you  do  yourself  great  harm  and 
prove  yourself  lacking  in  loyalty  to  your  Company 
when  you  talk  of  one  of  its  members  as  you  do  of 
Judith?" 

"By  scolding  me  you  do  naught  to  prove 
Judith  free  and  generous,"  Marya  said  spitefully. 

170 


A  LADY  GROWS  IMPATIENT 

After  which  the  sisters  pursued  their  way  in 
hostile  silence. 

Meanwhile  Tom  Lane  had  walked  on;  but 
somehow  the  fun  and  excitement  seemed  to  have 
gone  from  what  he  had  to  tell  Judith.  Instead 
he  could  think  of  nothing  but  the  childish  business 
of  the  strawberry  festival,  to  berate  himself  that 
ever  he  had  joined  the  Company  at  all. 

"That  younger  Jaspyn  girl,  she  of  the  lobster 
eyes  and  snub  nose,  had  it  in  mind  that,  lacking 
Judith,  I  would  ask  her  to  accompany  me,"  he 
thought  exasperatedly,  hardly  fair  in  his  annoy- 
ance to  Marya's  charms.  "I  '11  stay  at  home  first ! 
And  who  is  this  cousin  who  comes  popping  up 
from  nowhere?  Faith,  if  he  is  as  broad  in  the 
beam  as  his  sainted  mama  he  '11  be  a  romantic 
object  to  be  tied  to  for  the  day." 

Somewhat  comforted  by  the  thought  of  a  wide 
and  waddling  Carolus,  Tom  mended  his  pace  and 
came  upon  Judith  just  as  she  and  Nan  were  about 
to  part. 

The  sight  of  them  reawakened  his  interest  in 
his  strange  experience,  and  he  hastened  to  gain 
the  attention  of  his  audience. 

"I  've  had  a  most  mysterious  adventure,"  were 
171 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

his  first  words,  without  ceremony  of  greeting, 
save  that  he  still  deserved  Nan's  commendation 
by  reason  of  a  doffed  hat. 

"Returning  to  my  father's  warehouse  from  my 
errand  in  the  country,  I  was  stopped  in  the  street 
by  a  most  villainous  old  hag — " 

"Was  it  a  witch,  Tom?"  demanded  Nan  ex- 
citedly. "Did  she  have  crossed  eyes,  and  on 
her  chin  a  mole  with  three  hairs  growing  from 
it?" 

"It  had  not  occurred  to  me  before  that  this 
female  was  a  witch,"  Tom  answered,  "though 
indeed,  now  that  you  suggest  it,  it  seems  no  more 
than  credible,  for  she  assuredly  robbed  me  of  all 
good  sense.  What  first  caught  my  eye  was  a 
thriving  beard." 

"It  was  a  witch,"  Nan  nodded  contentedly ;  "go 
on!" 

"So  stiff  it  was  and  bristling,  that  I  took  her 
for  a  man  in  disguise,  and  Robin  in  the  huik  at 
once  entered  my  mind,  which  scarce  explains  why, 
when  she  asked  me  would  I  be  spirited  enough  to 
help  a  lady  in  distress,  my  thoughts  flew  to  you, 
Judith;  yet  on  the  spur  of  the  moment  I  said, 
'Assuredly.'  Whereat  she  started  hobbling  off 

172 


A  LADY  GROWS  IMPATIENT 

across  the  pebbles,  down  one  side  of  the  slope  to 
the  gutter,  over  the  stones  and  up  the  other  side, 
briskly  enough  for  all  her  bent  back  and  gray 
hairs. 

"Sober  second  thought  always  daunts  a  man's 
ardor,  and  before  we  reached  the  next  corner  I 
had  time  to  take  counsel  with  my  inner  self  as  to 
the  foolishness  of  what  I  was  doing,  hurrying 
through  the  streets  of  Yorke  behind  a  tattered 
hag,  on  an  errand  I  knew  naught  of ;  so  I  mended 
my  pace  and  overtook  her,  laying  a  hand  upon  her 
shoulder. 

"At  my  touch  she  leaped  to  one  side  and  let 
up  an  eldritch  screech,  raising  her  iron-shod  staff 
as  if  to  beat  me  about  the  head. 

"Seeing  who  it  was,  she  lowered  her  weapon 
but  looked  at  me  with  scant  sweetness. 

"  'What 's  your  will  ?'  she  asked.  'Canst  not 
blow  hot  and  cold  with  me !  Hast  lost  thy  taste 
for  adventure  so  quickly  ?' 

"  '  'T  is  not  so  much  that  I  have  lost  my  taste 
for  adventure,'  I  told  her,  'as  that  a  man  is  a  fool 
who  enters  a  battle  unarmed.  Why  throw  away 
a  good  cause  for  lack  of  preparation?  I  must 
know  more  of  those  I  am  to  meet/ 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"In  truth  I  had  no  weapon  save  my  two  fists 
and  thought  it  foolish  to  go  on. 

"For  a  moment  she  looked  at  me  evilly,  but 
when  she  spoke  her  words  were  smooth  enough. 
'Young  sir/  she  said,  'he  who  goeth  to  meet 
a  lady  hath  no  need  of  any  defense  save  a  hard 
heart.  An  thou  art  minded  to  turn  back,  waste 
not  my  time.  There  be  other  gallants  in  this 
town  of  proper  spirit.' 

"  'Then/  said  I,  'if  there  is  only  a  lady  in 
question  I  am  ready  enough  to  go  on,  but,  if  she 
expects  from  me  aught  in  the  way  of  defense,  it 
would  be  well  that  I  should  know  it  to  make  my 
preparations  ere  it  is  too  late.' 

"At  this  the  old  harridan  started  on  again, 
mumbling1  under  her  breath  the  while,  'Small 
chance  is  there  the  quality  would  open  their  minds 
to  me.  All  I  can  say  is,  I  was  not  told  to  bid  ye 
bring  arms.' 

"Where  it  was  possible  to  take  a  by-path  or  an 
evil-smelling  back  street  she  seemed  to  choose  it 
by  instinct,  but  at  last  she  stopped  at  the  half- 
open  door  of  an  oast-house,  still  scented  by  its 
last  drying  of  hops. 

"  '  'T  is  here  she  is  to  meet  you/  she  said,  'and 
174 


A  LADY  GROWS  IMPATIENT 

you  are  to  pay  me  a  silver  sixpence  for  my  pains.' 

"I  put  my  hand  in  my  pocket  to  comply  with 
this  request,  when  it  struck  me  that  this,  most  like, 
was  the  end  and  aim  of  the  whole  expedition,  and 
I  drew  it  out  again  empty.  There  was  no  lady 
there  nor  would  there  be,  and  if  I  paid  the  dame 
for  leading  me  on  such  a  wild  goose  chase  I 
should  be  a  fool  for  my  pains. 

"  'Indeed/  said  I.  'I  am  to  pay  you  ?  Since 
when  has  it  been  the  custom  for  the  one  sent  for 
to  pay  the  messenger?  When  the  lady  comes 
you  will  be  paid,  but  not  before/ 

At  this,  as  I  expected,  she  flew  into  a  rage. 
Her  very  eyes  grew  red  with  anger  and  she 
foamed  at  the  mouth,  raising  her  stick  threaten- 
ingly. For  all  her  malevolence,  she  was  but  a 
frail  old  thing,  and  I  hesitated  to  touch  her  for 
two  reasons.  First,  I  dreaded  to  hurt  her  by 
accident;  or,  escaping  that,  I  dreaded  lest  she 
make  claim  to  the  authorities  that  I  had  done  so. 
Yet  she  commanded  the  path." 

"And  all  this  pother  over  a  sixpence!"  Judith 
said.  "I  should  have  paid  her  and  gotten  me 
gone,  though  I  like  as  little  as  any  to  be  tricked 
out  of  my  money." 

175 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"But,  Judith,"  cried  Nan,  with  round  eyes, 
"do  you  not  see  he  could  not?  'T  was  a  matter 
of — of — "  she  hesitated  for  the  word. 

"Of  principle,"  Tom  nodded.  "Yes,  that  was 
it.  I  could  not  allow  myself  to  be  so  put  upon. 
We  English  are  for  justice — " 

"O  you  English !"  Judith  sighed.  "Never  will 
I  understand  you.  But  go  on." 

"I  did  not  go  on."  Tom  flushed  at  the  ac- 
knowledgment. After  all  it  was  not  a  heroic  fig- 
ure he  had  cut.  "A  cloth  was  thrown  over  my 
head,  I  was  dragged  into  the  oast-house,  and  the 
door  slammed.  I  fought  a  bit,  but  when  you  are 
pinioned  from  behind  you  have  small  chance  for 
self-defense.  Moreover,  I  discovered  that  there 
Was  no  desire  to  hurt  me.  I  was  handled  as 
gently  as  was  consistent  with  turning  out  my 
pockets.  The  old  woman  got  her  sixpence  with 
interest,  for  't  was  evident  that  those  who  had 
taken  me  held  her  tongue  in  great  respect.  My 
hands  and  feet  were  bound  and,  with  my  head 
still  muffled  in  a  cloth,  I  was  pulled  a  few  paces 
and  bidden  to  seat  myself  on  a  keg.  Then  we 
waited. 

"My  assailants,  whom  I  took  to  be  two  in 
176 


A  LADY  GROWS  IMPATIENT 

number,  stood  on  either  side  of  me  quite  motion- 
less. Time  passed  but  slowly,  I  do  not  need  to 
tell  you,  and  at  last  one  of  the  men  muttered,  'Dost 
think  she  hath  left  us  in  the  lurch  ?' 

"  'She  '11  be  here  at  her  own  good  pleasure,'  the 
other  returned;  but  this  exchange  told  me  there 
was  a  female  expected  and  set  me  a-wondering 
what  she  could  want  with  me,  who  had  already 
two  bravos  at  her  command. 

"With  something  to  ponder  on  time  passed 
more  quickly,  and  at  last  the  creaking  of  the  door 
and  a  faint  light  penetrating  my  mufflings  led  me 
to  conjecture  that  some  one  had  come  in.  The 
men  said  naught,  and  it  was  some  seconds  ere  a 
female  voice  broke  the  long  silence. 

"  'Is  this  Master  Lane  ?'  it  asked,  in  drawling 
tones.  'How  could  my  orders  have  been  so  mis- 
understood? Get  ye  gone  out  of  here!  And 
think  yourselves  lucky  if  you  escape  without 
punishment.' 

"  'But  your — '  one  of  the  men  began. 

"There  was  the  stamp  of  a  foot. 

"  'Silence!  Begone,  I  say!'  The  door  creaked 
again  and  I  knew  that  the  lady  and  I  were 
alone." 

177 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

Tom  paused,  enjoying  the  breathless  interest 
that  his  recital  was  arousing. 

"Go  on,"  said  Nan,  "what  happened  next?" 

"I  felt  a  hand  on  my  head  wrappings ;  then  the 
voice  said,  'You  are  on  your  honor,  sir,  not  to 
look  around/  The  wrappings  were  removed, 
and,  while  I  drew  a  full  breath,  for  they  were 
smothering  things,  a  folded  kerchief  was  passed 
over  my  eyes. 

"  This  is  for  your  protection,'  the  voice  said. 
'If  you  are  questioned,  you  can  vow  you  know  not 
who  sent  for  you.' 

"  'Indeed,  madam,'  I  told  her  mock  seriously, 
'I  hope  that  where  a  lady  is  concerned  I  could  be 
trusted  to  lie  like  a  nobleman.' 

"As  reward  for  this  sauciness  I  received  a 
good  rap  over  the  head 

"That  for  your  insolence/  she  said  sharply; 
and  I  returned,  sulkily  enough,  for  I  liked  not 
such  treatment,  'If  such  is  my  recompense  for  an 
offer  to  sacrifice  even  my  love  of  truth  to  your  in- 
terests, I  had  better  keep  silence.' 

"Whereupon  she  upbraided  herself  very  pret- 
tily for  misunderstanding  my  meaning,  and  at 
last  got  down  to  the  reason  for  my  being  taken 

178 


A  LADY  GROWS  IMPATIENT 

as  I  was.  .  .  .  Judith,  she  wanted  a  true  and  full 
account  of  the  rendering  into  Here  van  Bursum's 
hands  of  your  keg  of  treasure." 

"What  excuse  did  she  give  for  such  curiosity?" 
the  girl  demanded. 

"A  plausible  excuse  enough,"  Tom  acknowl- 
edged. "She  hinted  that  she  had  been  robbed  of 
her  patrimony  of  gold  and  jewels,  and  fancied 
the  treasure  I  had  helped  to  guard  might  be  her 
fortune." 

"What  did  you  tell  her?"  Judith  asked. 

"Faith,"  Tom  owned  freely,  "I  know  not 
whether  what  I  did  was  for  the  best,  but  I  told 
her  the  plain  truth.  I  could  not  have  her  think 
an  English  gentleman  helped  a  robber.  And  it 
seemed  to  me  safer  for  you  that  the  Here  van 
Bursum  should  be  known  to  have  the  care  of  the 
money.  He  must  have  a  guard  over  his  gold, 
whereas  you  have  no  one  to  depend  upon  save 
Krumm  and  the  watch." 

"Oh,"  Nan  put  in,  "did  you  not  know,  Tom, 
that  Judith  is  alone  no  longer?  She  hath  an 
uncle  and  a  lusty  cousin  for  protection." 

"I  met  your  aunt  but  now,  when  I  entered  in 
search  of  you."  Tom  spoke  to  Judith  over 

179 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

Nan's  head.  "And  the  Jaspyn  sisters  told  me  of 
your  cousin." 

"Carolus  de  Heern  is  not  my  cousin,"  Judith 
corrected  him  at  once.  "No  relation  at  all  is  he 
in  fact,  for  he  is  but  stepson  to  my  stepaunt." 

"Were  he  son-in-law  to  my  aunt  by  law  I 
would  claim  him  for  a  cousin  fast  enough,"  cried 
Nan,  "though  he  does  tease  me  by  pretending 
that  I  am  a  redskin." 

Tom  looked  at  Nan,  somewhat  surprised  at 
this  outburst.  He  had  thought  the  child  one  who 
would  not  be  quick  to  make  friends,  and  here  she 
was  already  taken  with  this  stranger.  The  idea 
pleased  him  little,  and  Judith's  -interruption  was 
welcome. 

"  Finish  your  tale,"  she  said.  "  'T  is  of  vastly 
more  interest  than  Carolus  de  Heem.  We  left 
you  seated  upon  a  keg  while  a  lady  stood  behind 
you  quizzing  you." 

"In  truth  that  sounds  as  if  I  were  discour- 
teous," Tom  returned,  "but  the  fact  is  I  know  not 
did  she  sit  or  stand.  My  eyes  were  tightly  tied 
and  I  was  pelted  with  questions  so  fast  that  I  had 
much  ado  to  answer  them.  Who  was  Robin? 
How  did  I  know  the  money  was  yours  ?  .Might  it 

180 


A  LADY  GROWS  IMPATIENT 

not  have  been  a  treasure-trove,  as  I  could  not 
claim  to  have  seen  it  paid  over  ?  Did  Robin  talk 
to  me  of  hidden  treasure  while  we  walked  behind 
the  dog-boy  as  guards?" 

"Did  you  know  that  he  had  signed  on  the 
Angel  of  Peace?"  Judith  asked. 

"Not  before  I  spoke  with  her,  but  she  cried  me 
the  news  when  I  suggested  that,  if  Robin  had 
knowledge  of  hidden  treasure,  he  might  be  paid 
to  share  it.  She  said  he  had  doubtless  gone  to 
jdin  some  privateer  fitting  out  to  prey  on  the 
king's  enemies,  which  did  not  greatly  surprise  me. 
I  thought  Robin  ripe  for  another  back-sliding." 

At  his  words  Nan  turned  on  him  like  a  small 
tigress  defending  her  cub. 

"I  hate  you  for  that,  Tom  Lane!"  she  said 
hotly.  "If  a  poor  sailor  like  Robin  signs  on  a 
privateer  he  needs  must  be  a  buccaneer  and 
marooner.  But  your  father  and  other  rich 
gentlemen  may  build  and  own  the  ships  such 
men  sail  on  without  scathe  to  their  great  names. 
They  risk  nothing.  At  least  Robin  risks  his  life 
to  fight  his  country's  enemies."  Bursting  into 
tears  the  child  flashed  by  them  and  ran  into  the 
house. 

181 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"Now  what  did  I  say  to  raise  such  a  storm?" 
Tom  asked  helplessly,  anxious  to  run  after  the 
child  to  comfort  her,  but  not  sure  how  to  go  about 
it. 

"I  know  not,  save  that  she  is  deeply  attached 
to  Robin.  Finish  your  tale.  That  keg  may  be 
powder  ready  to  blow  you  through  the  roof  for 
all  I  know/' 

This  attempt  to  speak  lightly  helped  to  clear 
the  air,  and  Tom  resumed  his  story,  but  the  spirit 
had  gone  out  of  the  recital. 

"At  last  the  lady  gave  over  questioning  me, 
Having  gotten  little  to  her  liking  out  of  me.  'I 
shall  cut  the  cord  that  binds  your  wrists,'  she 
said,  'but  I  trust  to  your  gentlemanliness  not  to 
look  after  me  nor  follow  me  when  I  leave  you.' 

"  'The  temptation  is  great/  I  told  her.  'One 
who  has  spent  an  hour  with  you  must  not  be 
blamed  if  he  schemes  to  spend  another/ 

"Strange  to  say  this,  that  I  had  meant  for 
raillery,  seemed  to  flatter  her.  She  loosed  my 
bonds  and  passed  a  finger  over  the  weals  on  my 
wrists. 

"  There,  there,  poor  boy!'  she  said;  'they  used 
you  too  hard/ 

182 


'She  wore  a  vizard  of  black  satin" 


A  LADY  GROWS  IMPATIENT 

"  'Nay,'  I  returned,  '  't  is  not  that  I  complain 
of,  but  that  they  cut  my  purse/ 

"In  a  moment  she  was  on  fire.     'What  took 
they?'  she  demanded. 

"  'But  a  few  florins,  madam,'  I  answered. 

'T  was  scarce  worth  the  trouble,'  she  re- 
turned scornfully,  whereat  I  put  up  my  hands  de- 
liberately to  loose  the  kerchief,  and  still  she  stood 
in  the  doorway.  When  it  came  off  she  was  still 
there  and  I  could  feel  her  gazing  at  me  mockingly ; 
but  by  the  time  my  feet  were  freed  she  was  gone." 

"How  looked  she?"  asked  Judith  breathlessly. 

Tom  shrugged. 

"I  know  not.     She  wore  a  vizard  of  btack 
satin." 


183 


CHAPTER  XIII 

IN   WHICH   JUDITH    ENGAGES    HERSELF   FOR   THE 
STRAWBERRY  FESTIVAL 

«  A  VIZARD  of  black  satin !"  Judith  echoed 
«^A-  Tom  Lane's  words.  Then,  impatiently: 
"But  her  mouth?  Her  chin?  Her  figure? 
What  were  they  like?  Would  you  know  her 
again?" 

"As  to  her  mouth  and  chin,  her  vizard  was 
fringed  with  lace  well  designed  to  hide  them.  As 
to  her  figure,  she  wore  a  man's  cloak  of  Spanish 
cloth,  turned  inside  out  to  display  the  velvet  lin- 
ing." 

"Her  shoes,  then;  what  saw  you  of  them? 
Had  she  paste  buckles  ?" 

"I  know  not."  Tom  shrugged  his  shoulders 
helplessly.  "The  heels  were  red — I  think — " 

"So  are  half  the  heels  in  town,"  Judith  cried 
impatiently.  "Oh,  would  that  I  had  been  there. 
I  would  have  ferreted  out  who  she  was  ere  we 
parted." 

184 


THE  STRAWBERRY  FESTIVAL 

"I  would  you  had  been  there,"  Tom  said  dryly, 
"an  it  would  have  pleasured  you,  for  I  found 
scant  amusement  to  pay  for  the  loss  of  my  purse." 
In  fact  the  young  man  began  to  feel  himself  ill- 
used  at  her  reception  of  his  tele.  She  seemed  to 
have  thoughts  only  for  what  he  had  failed  to 
observe. 

"So  you  saw  naught  at  all  save  a  cloak,  a 
vizard,  and  a  red  heel."  Judith  pursued  dis- 
consolately, ignoring  his  peevishness.  Then 
brightening;  "Her  hair!  It's  color  you  must 
have  seen." 

"The  lady  was  not  in  her  hair,"  Tom  returned. 
"Her  head  was  swathed  about  with  folds  of 
muslin,  lace-edged." 

"After  all,  it  is  of  no  moment,"  Judith  said. 
"I  know  who  it  was  and  need  no  proof." 

"You  know  who  it  was?"  Tom  echoed  incredu- 
lously. 

"It  was  my  Lady  Bellomont,"  Judith  declared 
positively.  "She  hath  taken  it  into  her  head  that 
my  moneys  were  a  pirate  treasure,  belonging  by 
rights  to  her  husband  as  governor." 

"The  province  or  crown  might  have  rights  in 
such  a  trove,"  Tom  said,  after  a  moment's 

185 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

thought,  "though  I  fear  there  would  be  small 
chance  that  most  treasure  seekers  would  haste  to 
turn  over  their  find  to  the  authorities." 

"As  there  is  no  treasure  there  's  naught  to  turn 
over,"  Judith  remarked  practically. 

They  were  nearing  her  house  now  and  Tom 
hurried  to  broach  another  subject  that  was  in  his 
mind,  for  he  had  no  intention  of  again  facing  her 
formidable  aunt  that  day. 

"When  I  joined  your  Company,  I  had  thought 
that  you  and  I  would  spend  some  gay  hours  to- 
gether at  the  strawberry  festival  and  other  such 
picnics;  but  now  the  Jaspyns  tell  me  you  are 
promised  to  your  cousin." 

A  flood  of  color  overspread  Judith's  face  to 
make  her  anger  and  annoyance  the  more  evident. 

"I  ?"  she  cried,  half  incredulously,  "I  promised 
to  Carolus!  How  dared  they?" 

Tom  Lane  was  startled  by  the  storm  his  words 
had  roused,  and,  feeling  that  he  had  not  reported 
the  conversation  exactly,  he  hastened  to  correct 
his  first  story. 

"I  think  I  have  scarce  given  you  a  true  idea 
of  what  was  said.  Their  belief  was  that,  out  of 

186 


THE  STRAWBERRY  FESTIVAL 

courtesy  to  a  guest  in  your  house,  you  would  be 
obliged  to  accept  your  cousin's  escort." 

"How  many  times  must  I  say  that  Carolus  de 
Heem  is  no  cousin  of  mine?"  Judith  snapped. 
"As  to  going  with  him  to  the  festival  I  '11  stay  at 
home  first!" 

The  gate  was  at  hand  and  all  of  the  De  Heems 
were  in  the  garden,  drawn  thither  by  the  air, 
which  was  warm  and  balmy. 

Judith  had  paused  to  make  her  emphatic 
declaration  and  then  started  forward,  but  Tom 
stopped  her  once  more. 

"If  you  do  not  mean  to  go  with  him,  will  you 
go  with  me?"  he  asked  eagerly. 

"Gladly,"  said  Judith,  the  while  she  watched 
with  a  truculent  eye  a  young  man  on  the  other 
side  of  the  garden  wall  who  seemed  to  have  no 
thought  for  her  but  busied  himself  in  the  summer- 
house  with  his  chess-board. 

No  further  words  were  spoken  till  they  reached 
the  gate  where  Judith  formally  asked  Tom  to 
enter.  He  as  formally  refused,  and  they  parted, 
he  to  walk  homeward  and  she  to  enter  the  garden. 

"It  has  taken  you  very  long  to  go  the  short  way 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

to  the  Waal  Straat  and  back,"  her  aunt  called 
pointedly  as  the  girl  walked  up  the  path. 

"It  was  too  hot  to  hasten,"  Judith  returned 
indifferently,  although  she  was  aware  that  this 
was  another  of  the  pin-pricks  she  was  constantly 
called  on  to  endure. 

"I  cannot  think  your  aunt  should  permit  you  to 
prance  upon  the  streets  escorted  by  English 
strangers,"  De  Heem  declared.  "She  should  put 
her  foot  down,  nor  so  allow  you  to  misuse  your 
liberty." 

Judith  had  told  herself  that  she  would  hold  her 
hot  temper  in  check  and  bear  with  the  De  Heems 
until  it  was  in  her  power  to  bid  them  begone ;  but 
now  she  had  been  deeply  annoyed  and  hurried 
into  a  step  that  her  sober  second  judgment 
warned  her  was  hasty.  Carolus,  for  all  he  was 
his  father's  son,  was  her  guest,  and  if  she  were 
minded  not  to  go  to  the  strawberry  festival  with 
him,  she  should  have  found  him  a  partner  before 
agreeing  to  go  with  any  other.  Moreover,  that 
other,  to  confound  her  -aunt's  ready  criticism, 
should  have  been  an  old  friend  and  Dutch.  All 
these  things  Judith  knew,  and  they  served  but  to 
increase  her  irritation.  Almost  without  her  vo- 

188 


THE  STRAWBERRY  FESTIVAL 

lition  she  crossed  the  grass  to  the  summer-house 
where  they  all  sat  and,  stopping  in  front  of  De 
Heem,  looked  him  up  and  down! 

"Sir,"  she  said,  "this  is  an  English  plantation 
now.  The  Lords  Orphan  Masters  themselves, 
were  I  in  their  care,  would  scarce  hold  me  to  blame 
for  politeness  to  an  English  friend." 

"Orange  boven,"  sighed  Vrouw  de  Heem,  in 
the  tone  of  one  invoking  the  aid  of  a  sacred  relic. 
"Times  are  changed  indeed  if  our  Dutch  maidens 
make  friends  of  the  English  usurpers.  I  have 
no  wish  to  interfere,  Judith,  nor  do  I  claim  the 
authority  that  you  see  fit  to  deny,  but  in  truth  I 
cannot  think  it  best  for  your  good  name  that  this 
rowdy  Englishman  Should  be  let  go  roaring 
through  this  house  as  if  it  were  his  own." 

"And  since  when  has  a  maiden's  house  been 
shut  to  an  honest  queester,"  bawled  Metje  angrily 
from  the  kitchen  window.  "Her  suitor  he  is. 
The  lad  is  a  good  lad  and  one  of  her  own  Company 
at  that.  There  is  naught  in  the  law,  English  or 
Dutch,  that  forbids  courting,  is  there?" 

"These  childish  Companies  Judith  should  long 
have  outgrown.  A  girl  betrothed  to  one  man 
cannot,  unless  she  is  light-minded,  receive  an- 

189 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

other,"  said  Vrouw  de  Heem,  tight-lipped  but 
trembling. 

"And  who  dare  say  I  am  betrothed  to  any 
one?"  Judith  demanded  advancing  on  the  older 
lady  almost  threateningly.  "I  am  free  as  air, 
and  so  I  purpose  to  remain." 

"Your  father  and  I  had  serious  correspondence 
on  the  question  of  your  marriage  to  Carolus,"  her 
aunt  told  her,  for  once  holding  her  ground.  "He 
favored  the  match,  and,  as  a  dutiful  daughter — " 

"As  a  dutiful  daughter,  if  it  were  needful  to 
throw  myself  and  my  fortune  into  the  balance 
to  pay  my  father's  debts  I  might  hold  it  a  duty  so 
to  do;  but  I  do  not  fear  things  coming  to  that 
pass."  Judith's  glance  traveled  past  the  De 
Heems  and  rested,  almost  triumphantly,  on  the 
bed  where  her  cherished  tulip-bulbs  lay  hid. 
"Until  they  do,  I  will  submit  to  neither  criticism 
nor  control.  I  shall  go  where  I  please  with 
whom  I  please." 

Her  indignation  lifted  her  quite  out  of  herself, 
and  she  stood  there  fronting  the  De  Heems  rather 
like  some  wild  thing  native  to  the  land  than  a 
stolid  Dutch  maiden. 

From  face  to  face  her  eyes  ranged  defiantly; 
190 


THE  STRAWBERRY  FESTIVAL 

but  when  they  met  Carolus's  gaze  they  stopped, 
while  he  took  one  step  forward  as  if  answering  a 
call  and  spoke  directly  to  Judith. 

"Now  there  I  am  minded  to  agree  with  you," 
he  declared  calmly.  "This  business  of  settling 
one's  affairs  for  one,  while  it  saves  trouble,  is 
sometimes  irksome.  Let  us  combine  against 
such  tyranny."  As  he  spoke  he  put  an  arm 
around  his  stepmother  and  gave  her  a  warning 
pat.  "So  far  as  my  making  any  claim  upon  you, 
pray  hold  yourself — what  was  it  you  said? 
It  was  a  good  phrase  and  quite  took  my  fancy. 
Ah,  now  I  have  it.  Pray  hold  yourself  as  free 
as  air."  He  swept  a  graceful  gesture  toward  the 
tinted  evening  sky  where  the  homing  birds  seemed 
to  flicker  across  the  arch  and  vanish.  "Go  where 
you  will  with  whom  you  will;  your  humble  ser- 
vant would  be  the  last  to  hinder  you."  Making 
her  a  little,  half-ironical  bow,  he  loosed  his  hold 
of  his  stepmother  and,  still  speaking  to  Judith, 
went  on.  "All  embarrassment  being  happily  at 
an  end  between  us,  may  I  ask  if  you  will  give  me  a 
little  information  about  a  plant  I  have  found  in 
the  rear  of  the  vegetable  garden,  which  shows 
signs  of  early  sprouting?  Your  learned  gar- 

191 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

dener,  doubtless  a  worthy  fellow,  assures  me  it 
is  poisonous  penhawiss  used  by  the  Indians  to  tip 
their  arrows,  so  that  their  enemies  turn  blue  and 
die  unpeacef  ully ;  but,  as  he  thinks  that  hyacinths 
are  a  superior  kind  of  radish,  I  have  my  doubts 
of  his  authority  in  this  matter." 

Somehow  Judith  found  herself  walking  toward 
the  back  of  the  property  beside  Carolus,  while 
behind  them  Here  de  Heem  swore  a  gentle  oath. 

"Now  what  means  that?"  complained  his  wife 
fretfully.  "It  doth  not  seem  to  me  that  Carolus 
hath  shown  his  usual  good  sense  to  throw  Judith 
back  her  father's  promise,  for  so  it  might  almost 
have  been  called." 

"And  to  me,"  her  husband  answered,  jeering 
as  usual  at  her  opinions,  "it  seems  that  he  has 
made  what  might  be  called  a  stroke  of  genius. 
To  let  a  girl  like  that  go  free  is,  I  verily  believe, 
the  only  way  to  bind  her  to  you." 

"Carolus  is  very  clever,"  sighed  his  mother. 

"For  once  at  least  I  am  inclined  to  agree  with 
you,"  De  Heem  said,  "but  I  shall  be  better  satis- 
fied wrhen  I  see  them  married." 

The  pair  had  moved  well  a*way  from  the  house 
to  a  spot  where  Metje,  for  all  her  sharp  ears, 

192 


THE  STRAWBERRY  FESTIVAL 

could  not  overhear  them;  yet  Claes  de  Heem 
looked  all  around  before  he  answered  his 
wife's  next  question.  She  spoke  almost  mus- 
ingly. 

"Stupid  though  you  think  me,  Claes,  I  can 
read  you  at  most  times  as  a  scholar  reads  his 
horn-book.  I  know  why  I  want  Judith  to  marry 
Carolus.  She  has,  for  life  at  least,  a  tidy  for- 
tune, and  I  would  rather  she  married  him  than 
a  stranger  on  whom  I  would  have  no  claim,  and 
who  might  be  jealous  of  my  love  for  our  son  and 
seek  to  cut  me  off  from  him ;  but  you — you  want 
it  more  by  far  than  I.  Why?  What  is  your 
motive?  For  that  you  always  have  one  I  know 
well." 

"There  are  reasons  why  I  hold  that  it  would 
be  desirable,"  De  Heem  acknowledged,  after  his 
questing  look  around,"  but  I  think  we  may  safely 
leave  it  to  Carolus  now.  He  will  manage  better 
than -we.  That  I  see  plainly." 

For  a  moment  silence  fell  between  them  only 
broken  by  a  snarl  from  Krumm  as  De  Heem  paced 
too  close  to  where  he  was  gnawing  a  bone  and 
slashed  at  him  in  passing. 

"I  shall  take  that  iron-shod  staff  of  Van  Taarl's 
193 


and  give  that  brute  the  beating  he  deserves  some 
fine  night,"  he  muttered. 

"Better  not,"  Vrouw  de  Heem  spoke  with  one 
of  her  flashes  of  shrewdness.  "Unless  you  wish 
to  go  to  the  City  Tavern  to  lodge,  the  dog  should 
bear  a  charmed  life  for  you.  Judith  expects  you 
to  move  against  him." 

"That's  twice  you  have  been  right  in  one  day," 
De  Heem  said.  "Clearly  the  end  of  the  world  is 
at  hand ;  but  let  not  the  brute  attack  me,  for  even 
Judith  could  scarce  expect  me  not  to  defend  my- 
self." 

He  turned  to  go  back  to  the  house  when  Vrouw 
de  Heem  faced  him  with  one  more  question : 

"Claes,  suppose  Carolus  was  not  so  clever  as 
you  think.  Suppose  he  meant  what  he  said  to 
Judith — that  for  all  of  him  she  might  consider 
herself  as  free  as  air?" 

De  Heem  considered  this  for  a  moment. 

"You  don't  think — "  he  paused, — "you  don't 
think  the  young  fool  would  break  his  given 
word?" 


194 


CHAPTER  XIV 

IN  WHICH  CAROLUS  ALSO  NAMES  HIS  PARTNER 

</""\UR  wilden  do  not  tip  their  arrows  with 
Vx  poison,"  Judith  said  as  she  walked  toward 
the  vegetable  garden  beside  Carolus. 

"You  disappoint  me."  Her  companion  spoke 
lightly.  "The  idea  of  dying  a  wondrous  blue 
was  such  a  pleasing  one.  I  must  then,  perforce, 
credit  this  man  of  yours  with  more  imagination 
than  is  usual  among  such  hinds." 

"You  think  he  meant  to  befool  you?"  Judith 
asked.  "Be  not  so  sure  of  that.  The  commoner 
folk  hold  to  many  superstitions  and  fancies  about 
the  wilden." 

Full  well  she  knew  that  Robin  had  been  mak- 
ing game  of  the  stranger,  and  she  meant  to  chide 
him  for  it  and  to  warn  him  not  to  draw  too  much 
attention  to  himself  for  his  safety's  sake. 

"If  the  Indians  do  not  make  use  of  such  a 
poison,"  Carolus  said,  "  't  is  useless  for  us  to 

195 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

search  for  this  bush,  which  in  truth  looked  vastly 
like  a  gooseberry  bush  to  my  eyes.  Instead  let 
us  stop  here  until  we  come  to  some  agreement." 

In  an  instant  Judith  was  in  arms  and  faced 
him,  her  swift  color  dying  her  cheeks  crimson. 

"I  don't  believe  there  ever  was  a  bush,"  she 
cried  angrily.  "Let  me  pass.  There  can  be  no 
agreement  between  us." 

Carolus  stood  in  her  path  with  lifted  eyebrows. 
His  quizzical  eyes  did  not  drop  before  the  smol- 
dering fire  in  hers. 

"Softly,  softly!"  His  voice  was  gentle  and 
even.  "Patiti-patita.  I  am  all  for  peace.  You 
shall  go,  of  course  as  you  wish  it.  But  I  am 
sorry.  I  had  hoped  to  be  of  service." 

There  was  a  note  of  sincerity  in  his  tone,  and 
although  he  stepped  aside  to  make  way  for  her, 
Judith  did  not  go. 

"I  will  listen,"  she  spoke  as  if  against  her  will. 
"What  is  it  you  have  to  say  ?" 

"First,"  Carolus  suggested,  "hating  us  as  you 
do,  why  do  you  not  arrange  some  -composition 
with  my  father  and  be  rid  of  us  ?" 

"I  cannot,"  Judith  returned  shortly.  "I  prom- 
ised I  would  pay  every  stuyver." 

196 


CAROLUS  NAMES  HIS  PARTNER 

Several  questions  came  at  once  into  young  De 
Heem's  mind,  but  he  dismissed  them  all.  He 
could  not  ask  her  when  she  expected  to  be  able 
to  settle  her  father's  affairs  without  arousing  a 
suspicion  that  he  was  not  disinterested. 

"I  'm  a  man  of  peace,"  he  sighed  at  last.  "As 
it  seems  we  are  doomed  to  be  your  guests  for  some 
time  longer,  is  it  not  possible  to  call  a  truce  so 
that  we  do  not  live  such  a  cat  and  dog  life?" 

"The  dissensions  are  none  of  my  making," 
Judith  declared,  tight-lipped. 

"It — it  would  save  somewhat  of  the  friction  if 
you  and  I  presented  an  appearance  of  friend- 
ship/' Carolus  suggested,  but  Judith  wheeled  on 
'him  like  a  flash,  her  fists  clenched. 

"I  'm  no  hypocrite !     We  're  not  friends !" 

Carolus  spread  wide  his  hands. 

"Mademoiselle,"  he  reminded  her  gently,  "I  'm 
not  suing  for  your  friendship.  I  can  think  of 
nothing  I  have  less  use  for,  but  I  am  all  for  a 
peaceful  life.  Surely  there  is  no  hypocrisy  in 
pretending  friendship  if  we  do  not  deceive  each 
other." 

"Do  you  hate  me  as  much  as  I  hate  you?" 
Judith  asked  childishly  conscious  of  considerable 

197 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

surprise,  for  what  reason  had  Carolus  to  hate 
her? 

Carolus  looked  at  her,  still  with  that  curious, 
half-indulgent,  half-quizzical  smile  on  his  lips. 

"As  to  that  I  cannot  say,"  he  returned  gravely. 
"But  your  affairs  are  inconvenient,  mademoiselle. 
They  have  seriously  interrupted  my  study  of 
chess." 

Looking  into  his  grave  face,  Judith  knew  not 
whether  this  was  jest  or  earnest,  and  not  wishing 
to  acknowledge  her  puzzlement,  she  changed  the 
subject. 

"Why  do  you  call  me  'mademoiselle'  ?"  she 
asked.  "Full  well  you  know  that  I  am  Dutch." 

"It  is  hard  to  find  anything  that  I  may  call  you 
without  offense,"  Carolus  replied,  his  eyes  intent 
on  a  stone  that  he  was  rolling  along  the  walk 
with  the  toe  of  his  shoe.  "Moreover  you  look 
like  a  French  girl." 

"I  do!"  Judith  cried,  astonished,  and  for  the 
first  time,  met  Carolus'  swift  glance  without  ani- 
mosity. "Now  I  know  not  if  I  like  that  or  no." 
'T  was  not  a  compliment  but  a  statement  of 
fact,"  he  told  her  gravely.  "Brown  skin,  brown 
hair,  brown  eyes  the  color  of  old  Madeira,  a 

198 


CAROLUS  NAMES  HIS  PARTNER 

figure  slender  as  a  wand.  Does  that  describe  a 
proper  juffrouw?" 

"And  pray  how  should  a  Dutch  lady  look?" 

"Ah,"  cried  Carolus,  "now  you  have  set  me 
at  task.  Well,  let  me  see.  Skin  like  an  apple 
blossom,  satin  soft  and  pink  and  white.  Hair 
the  color  of  wheat  in  the  sun,  figure  well  rounded, 
broad-hipped,  moving  like  a  swan — " 

"Swans  waddle,"  Judith  interposed  demurely. 
"I  have  never  thought  them  graceful — " 

"Like  a  swan  upon  the  water,"  Carolus  went 
on,  disregarding  the  interruption,  "placid,  sooth- 
ing, never  contentious." 

"And  now  we  have  it,"  Judith  laughed,  quite 
forgetting  to  whom  she  was  talking.  "Her 
charm  is  clear  to  me  at  last.  'Never  contentious !' 
To  say  'yes,  sir/  and  'no,  sir' ;  to  hang  upon  your 
words ;  never  to  dare  think  but  that  you  are  right 
when  clearly  you  are  wrong;  to  have  no  mind  of 
one's  own;  that  then  is  the  sort  of  maiden  you 
like." 

"I  had  not  yet  said  that  I  liked  the  Dutch 
juffrouw,"  Carolus  returned  with  pretended 
meekness,  "but,  as  I  see  it  will  meet  your  views, 
I  '11  gladly  do  so.  Here 's  to  the  ladies  of  the 

199 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

Low  Countries.'*  He  pretended  to  quaff  a  toast 
in  their  honor  and  became  aware  that  Judith  was 
laughing  at  him,  her  white  teeth  shining  and  her 
eyes  dancing. 

"Now  what  is  there  amusing  about  that?"  he 
asked,  taken  by  surprise  for  once. 

"Naught,  naught,  save  that  you  are  so  very 
French,  monsieur/'  she  said,  as  lightly  as  he 
might  have  done  himself.  "Nose  aquiline,  eyes 
dark,  and  quick  glancing,  hair,  also  dark.  Figure 
slender  and  graceful,  manner  vivacious — " 

"Nay,  there  you  slander  me,  I  vow,"  Carolus 
interrupted. 

"Not  to  say  frivolous,"  Judith  continued,  wav- 
ing aside  his  attempt  to  make  himself  heard, 
"while  the  proper  Dutch  gentleman  is  blond, 
broad  of  shoulder,  solid  of  build  with  opinions  as 
solid,  which  clearly  merit  the  ladies'  admiration." 

"And  now  your  views  on  English  gentlemen 
would  be  valuable,"  Carolus  suggested  slyly, 
"for  I  find  that  this  is  a  country  divided  against 
itself. 

But  Judith  would  not  let  herself  be  put  out  of 
countenance  by  this  reference  to  Tom  Lane. 

"Perchance  this  divison  is  less  than  it  seems,' 
200 


CAROLUS  NAMES  HIS  PARTNER 

she  returned  coolly,  her  chin  well  elevated. 
"Some  of  the  maids  of  my  Company  were  talking 
this  matter  over  not  long  ago  and  we  decided 
that,  as  Patria  loved  us  so  little  that  we  were 
handed  back  to  the  English  whether  we  liked  it 
or  no,  it  was  time  we  doffed  the  orange  for  the 
colors  of  our  new  country." 

Carolus  hid  a  little  start  at  this  bold  expres- 
sion of  opinion. 

"I  see,"  he  said,  slightly  hesitant.  "  T  is 
after  all  to  an  English  lady  that  I  speak  and  I 
should  call  you  'miss.' ' 

"Mademoiselle  will  do,"  Judith  returned 
calmly.  "I  like  the  sound  of  it,  monsieur." 

Now  having  got  this  far  in  amity  it  was  hard 
for  the  time  to  fetch  back  again  to  her  old  feeling 
of  resentment  against  Carolus.  After  all,  why 
had  she  been  so  down  on  him?  He  had  done 
nothing  offensive.  It  had  been  enough  for  her 
that  he  was  his  father's  son.  Moreover,  there 
was  one  thing  that  she  had  very  much  wanted 
to  ask  him,  and  here  was  an  opportunity  that 
might  not  come  again. 

"Tell  me,"  she  spoke  abruptly,  "did  you  try  to 
warn  me  the  day  after  you  came?  You  were 

20 1 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

puzzling  over  a  problem  on  your  chess-board,  I 
remember." 

"I  warn  you — on  a  matter  of  business,  made- 
moiselle?" 

It  was  a  slip  and  Judith  pounced  upon  it. 

"You  did!"  she  cried.  "I  felt  it  at  the  time 
but  could  not  understand.  Why  did  you  do  it?" 

"As  I  said  then,"  Carolus  seeing  it  was  useless 
to  evade,  determined  to  make  the  best  of  the 
matter,  "in  life,  as  in  chess,  't  is  useless  to  move 
unless  you  better  your  position." 

"But  why  should  you  warn  me?"  Judith  was 
frankly  puzzled.  "That  was  what  baffled  me. 
Surely  your  interests  lie  with  your  family." 

Carolus  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"If  you  mean  that  it  is  to  my  interest  to  help 
my  father  add  to  his  store  of  guilders  I  do  not 
see  eye  to  eye  with  you.  The  richer  he  grows 
the  more  will  his  ambitions  and  mine  be  at  var- 
iance. I  have  no  wish  that  he  should  get  the 
better  of  you  in  this  matter  of  the  Great  Mogul." 

"Get  the  better  of  me!"  Judith  echoed  his 
words  in  surprise.  "How  could  he  do  that?" 

Carolus  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"That  I  know  not.     I  told  no  more  than  the 
202 


CAROLUS  NAMES  HIS  PARTNER 

truth  when  I  said  that  I  was  useless  in  business ; 
but  I  am  quite  sure  that,  an  it  is  possible,  he  will. 
For  in  all  the  Low  Countries  there  is  no  one  who 
is  his  equal  for  seizing  on  the  long  end  of  the 
stick." 

"Still  I  do  not  understand."  Judith  was  think- 
ing aloud,  but  she  stopped  herself,  remembering 
that  Carolus  did  not  know,  as  she  did,  the  poverty 
to  which  his  father  was  reduced. 

"Forget  that  for  the  time,"  said  Carolus,  "and 
answer  my  questions.  How  did  Here  Van  Taarl 
speak  of  the  affair  of  the  Great  Mogul?  Did  he 
seem  to  look  upon  it  with  my  father's  eyes?" 

"My  father  had  waited  years  for  such  a 
chance  as  this  voyage  of  the  Mogul  presented," 
Judith  said.  "I  gathered  that  he  meant  to  re- 
turn to  Patria  so  rich  that  there  would  be  no 
bottom  to  his  purse.  Once  and  again  he  had 
been  disappointed,  but  this  time  there  was  a  vast 
profit  to  be  made,  and  he  determined  to  carry 
cargo  for  no  one  else  in  order  to  reap  the  whole 
reward  himself.  It  was  then  that  your  father 
and  mother  came  crying  to  him  for  some  small 
share  in  the  venture." 

"There  the  stories  vary,"  Carolus  pointed  out 
203 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

gravely.  "My  father  saith  that  he  begged  them 
to  invest." 

"I  did  not  contradict  him  because  I  could  not 
see  that  it  mattered/'  the  girl  declared,  "but  on  his 
death-bed  my  father  would  scarce  lie.  At  all 
events  the  Mogul  was  seized  by  pirates  and  all 
their  hopes  were  lost  together.  The  strangest 
thing  about  it  was  this.  The  Mogul,  once  laden 
and  at  sea,  opened  certain  sealed  orders  and 
thereafter  took  a  very  unusual  course.  No  free- 
booters had  been  heard  of  for  a  long  time,  but 
with  practically  his  all  at  stake  my  father  ordered 
that  no  risks  were  to  be  run  even  at  the  expense  of 
a  lengthened  voyage.  And  it  was  his  contention 
that  his  commands  must  have  been  known  to  the 
pirates  who  met  and  seized  the  galleon." 

.Carolus  nodded  his  head  up  and  down  slowly, 
and  into  his  eyes  there  crept  the  look  of  one  who 
sees  a  light. 

"The  puzzle  is  piecing  together  bit  by  bit,"  he 
murmured,  "but  it  is  all  surmise.  No  proof  of 
any  kind.  If  I  could  lay  my  hands  on  one  single 
grain  of  proof!" 

"Proof  of  what?"  Judith  demanded. 

"Be  assured  that  I  shall  tell  you  as  soon  as  I 
204 


CAROLUS  NAMES  HIS  PARTNER 

know  myself,"  Carolus  said,  ""but  it  would  be  use- 
less to  set  your  brain  in  a  turmoil  like  to  mine. 
Tell  me  instead  something  of  this  strange  and 
humorous  gardener  of  yours.  How  long  have 
you  known  him  and  how  well?" 

"You  must  not  take  his  little  joke  amiss,  if  joke 
it  was,"  Judith  said  avoiding  a  direct  answer. 
"He  is  a  harmless  soul.  If  he  did  attempt  to  be- 
fool you  it  was  perchance  to  make  himself  im- 
portant in  Metje's  eyes.  Moreover  a  new-comer 
to  the  country  is  always  fair  game.  I  mind  me 
once  when  Jan  Hercz  had  a  cousin  from  Patria 
come  to  see  the  New  World.  He  was  brought 
to  one  of  our  picnics  on  Nutten  Iseland.  Tfie 
boys  were  at  the  age  when  they  all  were  pretend- 
ing to  be  Indians,  wore  moccasins,  went  armed 
with  bows  and  arrows,  and  took  vast  pride  in 
their  markmanship.  They  were  shooting  at  a 
target  and  lost  an  arrow  in  the  water.  Wolfert 
Flipsen,  the  lad  who  lost  it,  assured  Bastian  that 
it  would  be  found,  with  four  notches  in  the  staff 
to  tell  it  by,  stuck  in  the  gate-post  when  they  went 
back  to  the  Manhattans,  as  proof  of  how  far  a 
good  bowman  could  send  an  arrow.  Till  the  day 
he  left  us  poor  Bastian  never  ceased  to  recount  the 

205 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

wonder  of  it,  and  he  carried  the  notched  arrow 
with  him  in  proof." 

"Who  stuck  it  in  the  gate-post?"  asked 
Carolus,  laughing. 

"Oh,  there  would  have  been  quite  a  sheaf 
there,  if  all  who  hastened  ahead  to  supply  them 
had  had  their  way,"  Judith  returned  lightly. 
"Bastian  kept  tight  hold  of  Wolfert  to  see  that 
he  did  n't  play  him  false ;  but  he  had  no  suspicion 
of  Us  maids." 

By  mutual  consent  they  turned  and  wandered 
back  toward  the  house.  Seeing  them  deep  in 
converse,  both  Here  and  Vrouw  de  Heem  pre- 
tended to  busy  themselves  about  the  arbor. 
Moeye  Beletje,  however,  only  too  ready  to  be- 
lieve that  Judith  had  at  last  succumbed  to  Car- 
olus's  invincible  charm,  and  desirous  to  tighten 
the  bond  between  them,  opened  a  subject  that  she 
had  had  in  mind  for  some  time  as  soon  as  they 
came  within  hearing. 

"What 's  this  I  hear  of  a  strawberry  festival, 
Judith?"  she  asked  amiably,  putting  a  fat  hand 
within  Carolus's  arm.  "Have  you  and  my  boy 
made  your  arrangements  to  go  together  ?" 

"The  festival  will  not  occur  for  months," 
206 


CAROLUS  NAMES  HIS  PARTNER 

Judith  said.  "We  have  no  strawberry  blossoms 
yet,  let  alone  fruit." 

"But,  when  it  does  come,  you  two  must  go  to- 
gether," her  aunt  persisted,  pressing  the  point. 
"That  of  course  is  understood." 

Judith  hesitated.  It  had  to  come  out  some- 
time, and  it  mattered  little  whether  it  was  now  or 
later. 

"I  cannot  go  with  him,  Moeye  Beletje,"  she 
said,  "I  am  bespoken  by  another." 

For  a  moment  there  was  silence ;  then  Here  de 
Heem  said  coldly. 

"In  politeness,  your  partner  will  relinquish  his 
claim  when  he  hears  that  your  cousin  has  come." 

Judith's  antagonism  was  ever  ready  to  be 
fanned  into  a  blaze  by  any  breath  of  opposition 
from  this  man,  so  now  she  would  not  have  relin- 
quished Tom  Lane  for  any  cavalier  in  the  world. 

"The  engagement  was  made  no  earlier  than 
to-day,  and  I  am  not  minded  to  break  it,"  she 
returned  eying  her  aunt's  husband  disdainfully, 

"This  passes  all  bearing.  I  will  not  be  so 
defied,"  De  Heem  began,  when  Carolus,  cool  and 
unruffled,  and  seemingly  just  arriving  at  an 
understanding  at  what  was  going  on,  interposed. 

207 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"  'T  is  evident  that  I  owe  mademoiselle  -an 
apology ;  but,  as  things  are,  I  am  happily  relieved 
from  making  it.  It  had  not  occurred  to  me 
that  it  was  my  pleasant  duty  to  act  as  her  escort, 
and  I  have  made  other  arrangements." 

"You  mean,  Carolus,  that  you  do  not  wish  to 
go  with  Judith?"  Vrouw  de  Heem  piped,  as  if 
unable  to  believe  her  ears. 

"That  is  such  a  crude  way  of  putting  it," 
Carolus  smiled.  "Instead  let  us  say  I  want  to 
go  with  her  exactly  as  much  as  she  wants  to  go 
with  me.  The  Juffer  Marya  Jaspyn  has  honored 
me,  however." 

"Aha!"  said  Judith  to  herself,  "the  apple- 
blossom  Dutch  maid." 

"Aha!"  said  De  Heem  to  himself,  "another 
maid  was  all  that  was  needed  to  turn  his  silly 
head." 


208 


CHAPTER    XV 

IN  WHICH  ROBIN  MAKETH  A  SAD  CONFESSION 

THE  strange  attempt  upon  Tom  had  brought 
to  Judith's  remembrance  her  forgotten 
promise  to  Lady  Bellomont.  Robin  was  sup- 
posed to  have  sailed,  and  in  her  own  mind  Judith 
had  no  belief  that  he  sha'red  the  secret  of  any 
hidden  wealth,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  if  she 
could  say  that  she  had  asked  him  and  he  had 
denied  such  knowledge  the  Governor's  lady 
might  be  more  easily  satisfied  and  so  lose  her 
dangerous  interest  in  the  man. 

One  rainy  day  while  Metje  was  busy  above 
stairs,  Judith  sought  him  out  where  he  sat  close 
to  the  kitchen  fire  whittling  at  the  leg  of  a  toy 
table.  At  sight  of  her  he  rose  and  hastily 
brushed  his  chips  into  the  ashes. 

The  girl  closed  the  door  behind  her  and, 
bidding  him  be  seated,  herself  took  a  chair  on 
the  other  side  of  the  hearth. 

209 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"Robin,"  she  began,  for  she  found  an  un- 
expected difficulty  in  explaining  what  she  wished 
to  know  and  her  reasons  therefor,  "did  you  hear 
that  Lady  Bellomont  had  young  Master  Lane 
seized  and  questioned  as  to  the  treasure  carried 
from  here?" 

"That  I  did  not,"  Robin  returned.  "Saving 
your  presence,  I  think  the  woman  crazed." 

"Mayhap  she  is — by  loneliness,"  Judith  said. 
"She  is  used  to  a  gay  life  in  England,  and  't  is 
vastly  different  here.  1  pity  the  poor  creature. 
At  all  events,  having  naught  else  to  occupy  her, 
she  lets  her  mind  roam  at  will  and  makes  great 
plans  of  what  she  would  do  if  she  could  come  by 
a  fortune.  Hearing  of  your  pirate  garb,  she 
gave  her  imagination  full  rein,  and  even  came 
to  me  that  I  in  turn  should  go  to  you  and  ask  if 
you  had  any  secret  concerning  such  a  hoard  as 
she  covets." 

"Now  who  'd  think,"  Robin  said  unexpect- 
edly, "that  a  great  lady  and  Robin  Marrow 
would  have  aught  in  common  ?  Yet  she  rides  by 
in  her  coach,  a  dreamer  of  sweet  dreams,  and 
passeth  me  on  the  road,  not  knowing  me  for 
just  such  another." 

210 


ROBIN  -MAKETH  A  CONFESSION 

"What  mean  you  by  that?"  asked  Judith 
puzzled. 

"In  telling  you  I  give  myself  into  your  hands. 
I  only  ask  that  you  do  not  cry  the  news  to  Metje 
or  my  sister  and  so  spoil  their  pleasure. 

"I  am  no  bold  and  bloody  buccaneer,  no  gentle- 
man of  fortune.  I  am  an  honest  sailor  who, 
being  sick  of  the  sea,  am  minded  to  end  my  life 
on  the  shore." 

"But  this  news  would  rejoice  your  sister!" 
Judith  exclaimed,  amazed. 

"Not  it,"  Robin  declared  brazenly.  "She  prid- 
eth  herself  that  she  hath  drawn  me  from  the  evil 
of  my  ways.  For,  see  you,  like  many  another 
sailorman  before  me,  having  naught  to  tell  but 
tales  of  head  winds  and  hard  knocks,  and  finding 
more  expected  of  me,  I  made  up  wondrous  stories 
out  of  my  head  to  pleasure  those  who  listened. 
Then,  to  make  the  tales  more  real,  I  bought  here 
an  earring,  there  a  sash  or  pistol,  or  dagger,  till  .1 
was  as  well  outfitted  as  Captain  Tew  or  Captain 
Kidd  himself ;  and,  when  I  wore  these  trappings, 
you  should  have  seen  the  women  and  children! 
They  listened  to  all  I  had  to  say,  big-eyed,  putting 
out  daring  fingers  to  touch  pistol  or  dagger  or 

211 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

cutlass  that  figured  in  the  history.  So  real  were 
the  stories  to  them  that  almost  I  myself  believed 
them.  I  told  myself  that  given  such  chances  I 
would  have  been  as  brave.  It  did  no  one  harm, 
missy.  It  but  served  but  to  keep  me  amused,  who 
might  otherwise  have  found  my  daily  life  as  sav- 
orless as  doth  her  ladyship.  But  did  my  sister 
find  me  out  she  would  ne  'er  forgive  my  innocent 
romancing.  I  beg  you,  let  me  remain  a  corsair 
with  a  price  upon  my  head." 

It  was  quite  plain  to  Judith  that  Robin  had 
at  last  told  the  truth,  and  she  left  him,  ponder- 
ing in  her  mind  upon  the  strange  vanity  of  a  man 
who,  to  be  a  hero,  was  content  also  to  be  thought 
a  villain. 

For  all  the  friction  within  her  home,  the  last 
weeks  of  the  winter  -went  quickly  to  Judith. 

Always  De  Heem  the  elder  pressed  for  pay- 
ment of  what  was  owed  to  him,  or  demanded  that 
she  marry  Carolus  out  of  hand,  young  as  she  was, 
and  so  secure  the  promised  repayment. 

Always  she  refused  steadily,  thinking  long- 
ingly of  the  time  when  her  tulips  would  push 
through  the  earth  to  justify  her  faith  in  them, 

212 


ROBIN  MAKETH  A  CONFESSION 

while  Carolus  sat  by,  busy  with  his  chess,  taking 
no  hand  in  the  controversy  and  seemingly  no 
interest,  until  Judith  asked  herself  the  secret  of 
his  wooden  exterior.  Was  he  as  great  a  knave 
as  she  felt  his  father  to  be?  If  not,  why  did  he 
permit  her  to  be  tormented  when  he  had  it  in  his 
power  to  refuse  to  wed  her  ?  That  he  could  make 
brisk  use  of  his  tongue  was  amply  proven  when 
the  girls  of  her  Company  came  visiting.  They 
one  and  all  voted  him  most  amusing  and  envied 
Judith  her  guest,  while  she  watched  the  skies  for 
the  first  migrating  birds  and  longed  for  the  spring 
that  would,  she  hoped,  bring  her  freedom. 

One  event  only  set  a  day  apart  from  all  the 
others,  so  monotonous  did  they  seem  in  retro- 
spect. For  some  time  she  had  wondered  that  the 
goods  in  the  warehouse  had  lain  undisturbed; 
but  one  morning  she  found  several  wains  and 
drays  backed  up  there  and  the  work  of  removal 
progressing  rapidly. 

At  sight  of  her,  one  of  the  porters  stepped  for- 
ward and  knuckled  his  forehead. 

"For  you,  juffer,"  he  said,  producing  a  small 
sheet  of  paper  carefully  folded  and  sealed  with 
a  disproportionately  large  seal,  the  imprint  on 

213 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

which  was  so  curious  that  Judith  hesitated  to 
break  it  until  she  had  had  a  chance  to  study  it. 

"Is  there  an  answer?"  she  asked,  weighing  it 
in  her  hand. 

"Nay,  then,  I  know  not,"  the  man  answered 
surprised,  "but,  an  there  is,  I  can  take  it  for 
you —  O  dunderheads,  to  set  warming-pans  atop 
of  velvets !"  He  ran  off  in  haste  to  take  up  his 
interrupted  duties,  and  Judith,  with  the  scissors 
of  her  chatelaine,  slit  the  paper  of  the  note,  pre- 
serving the  seal  intact.  There  were  so  few  words 
that  she  had  no  difficulty  in  joining  the  pieces  and 
reading : 

"In  need,  forget  not  that  you  have  a  friend," 
was  all  that  was  written  there. 

But  could  the  Jew  help  her  further?  She 
stood  pondering  the  matter  deeply  and  then,  in  a 
flash,  it  came  to  her.  If  the  tulip  came  true  how 
was  she  to  learn  its  worth  ?  How  was  she  to  sell 
it?  And  on  this  sale  all  her  hopes  of  freedom 
hung. 

In  haste  she  ran  into  the  house  and  wrote  a 
short  note. 

"I  thank  you.  Do  you  know  aught  of  tulips?" 
was  her  message.  This  she  gave  to  the  porter 

214 


ROBIN  MAKETH  A  CONFESSION 

sealed,  but,  as  before,  without  address;  and  this 
man  as  had  the  other,  looked  at  her  with  added  re- 
spect when  he  took  it  from  her  hand.  Clearly 
the  little  Jew,  Salvador  Dacosta,  was  not  without 
position  of  some  sort. 

Again  weeks  passed  and  at  last  spring  came. 

The  sky  was  a  wonderful  clear  blue  against 
which  the  sails  of  the  windmills  showed  brown  or 
cream,  while  the  white  clouds  chased  each  other 
across  it  to  deepen  the  color  of  the  distant  land- 
scape with  their  moving  shadows.  The  trees 
seemed  to  have  gathered  around  them  a  tinted 
mist,  some  rosy,  some  golden;  and  two  days 
before,  early  in  the  morning,  the  first  of  the 
flights  of  wild  pigeons  had  flown  to  the  north  to 
nest  and  feast  on  the  wild  carrot.  So  low  they 
flew  that  the  people  of  the  town  mounted  their 
roofs  and  knocked  them  down  with  sticks,  for 
while  they  passed  the  air  was  darkened  with 
them  and  the  beating  of  their  wings  sounded  the 
alarm  of  their  coming.  But  by  ten  o'clock,  as 
always  happened,  they  had  mysteriously  vanished, 
to  be  brought  to  memory  as  one  of  the  signs  of 
spring  more  certain  than  the  first  bluebird  or  the 
early  thrushes  with  their  orange  breasts,  who 

215 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

sometimes  made  the  mistake  of  coming  north 
before  the  last  storms  had  given  way  to  sunshine. 
Judith  thought  of  all  this  as  she  bent  over  her 
beloved  tulips.  She  had  been  working  in  her 
flower  garden  all  morning,  planting  and  trans- 
planting the  gilly-flowers,  crown  imperials, 
jenoffelins,  anemones,  and  bare-dames  that  were 
to  make  the  place  gay  later  in  the  season.  Within 
she  could  hear  Metje  at  her  churning  in  the  out- 
kitchen,  her  churning-charm  droned  out  sleepily 
in  the  warm  spring  air : 

"Buitterchee,   buitterchee,   comm 
Alican  laidlechee  tubichee  vail — " 

repeated  over  and  over  again  until  Judith  her- 
self began  to  grow  drowsy. 

"Metje,"  she  called  sharply,  "what 's  wrong 
with  the  butter?  Make  haste!  I  want  you  to 
go  to  the  attic  and  search  me  out  the  maritoffel 
and  summersot  seeds." 

"Indeed  I  think  the  cream  is  bewitched,"  re- 
turned Metje  dolefully.  "Never  a  cross  word 
have  I  spoken  to  it  or  the  churn,  and  yet  the 
butter  does  n't  come." 

Judith  smiled  indulgently,  as  though  she  were 
the  elder  of  the  two. 

216 


ROBIN  MAKETH  A  CONFESSION 

"  'T  is  strangely  slow  on  the  first  warm  days 
of  spring,"  she  said,  "when  your  heart  is  in  the 
sunshine,  and  the  dasher  sucks  up  and  down  as 
if  a  hand  were  holding  it  back.  Run  you  up  to 
the  garret  for  the  seeds,  and  I  will  spell  you  for 
a  while." 

Nothing  loth,  Metje  wiped  her  palms  on  a 
cloth  hung  behind  the  door,  and  her  young  mis- 
tress took  up  her  task. 

"I  found  them  at  once,  and  lily  bulbs,  as  well 
as  morning-stars  and  bellflowers.  I  pray  you 
plant  generously,"  Metje  cried  a  few  minutes 
later  as  she  bustled  in  again.  "We  cannot  have 
too  many  of  the  flowers-gentle,  say  I." 

"I  think  with  you,  but  if  we  greatly  increase 
the  size  of  the  garden  we  will  not  be  able  to  care 
for  it  ourselves." 

Metje's  eyes  rounded  at  this. 

"And  why  should  you  take  upon  yourself  such 
mean,  hard  tasks  ?"  the  woman  asked,  ever  ready 
to  rebel  at  Judith's  economies.  "Surely  you 
are  the  greatest  heiress  in  the  city.  No  other 
is  there  who  holds  her  fortune  in  her  own  two 
hands." 

"The  butter  is  come,"  Judith  interrupted. 
217 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"Take  charge  of  it,  and  remember  what  I  have 
said  before.  Great  possessions  bring1  great 
duties.  We  must  not  let  them  turn  our  thoughts 
to  extravagance." 

She  gathered  together  the  packets  of  seed  and 
went  back  to  her  gardening,  while  Metje  looked 
after  her  shaking  her  head  in  amazement. 

"At  all  events  this  proves  one  thing  that  I  have 
always  told  you,"  she  called  loudly.  "You  have 
a  lucky  hand  on  the  dash.  I  might  have  toiled 
till  midnight  and  butter  would  not  have  come  for 
all  my  trying." 

Knowing  that  her  good  Metje  always  liked  the 
last  word,  Judith  made  no  reply  to  this  but  set 
about  planting  her  seeds  in  the  places  marked 
for  them. 

In  a  short  time  Metje  joined  her. 

"I  came  to  lo'ok  at  the  tulips,"  she  said. 
"'Think  you  they  would  be  better  for  a  sup  of 
water?" 

Judith  stepped  over  to  the  flower-bed  where 
her  father's  precious  tulips  were  set  out  and  crit- 
ically regarded  the  soil;  then  she  shook  her  head 
in  the  negative. 

"I  like  not  to  begin  watering,"  she  explained. 
218 


ROBIN  MAKETH  A  CONFESSION 

"We  might  rot  the  bulbs ;  but  almost  as  bad  is  it 
to  train  them  to  expect  their  moisture  from  above. 
That  means  that  they  will  not  trouble  to  strike 
deep  roots." 

"Good  lack!"  cried  Metje,  "you  talk  as  if 
they  had  understandings.  I  cannot  believe 
they  know  whence  their  moisture  comes,  nor 
care." 

Judith  smiled  but  did  not  argue  the  point  fur- 
ther. She  was  now  bending  over  another  bed, 
loosening  the  soil  where  it  seemed  to  be  caked  with 
a  tiny  rake  like  a  child's  toy,  which  Metje  had 
handed  her. 

"Did  we  remove  the  litter  too  soon?"  the 
woman  asked  anxiously. 

"No,"  said  the  girl  positively,  "I  Ve  no  desire 
for  early  flowering  and  I  greatly  dread  the  burn- 
ing of  the  first  tender  leaves  when  the  covering 
is  left  on  and  our  suns  are  hot.  What  we  '11  do 
is  to  lay  breadths  of  our  unbleached  linen  over 
the  borders  at  night." 

"Eh,  then !"  cried  Metje,  "that  is  a  clever  idea. 
They  shall  have  bed-clothes  of  their  own,  the 
pretties,  and  Metje  will  tuck  them  in  as  if  they 
were  babies  so  they  will  not  feel  the  frost.  .  .  . 

219 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

Pray  only  that  no  evil-doer  robs  us  of  the  linen!" 
She  ended  piously,  as  she  went  in. 

On  an  afternoon  later  m  the  month  Judith  was 
again  bending  over  her  tulips,  touching  them  with 
gentle  fingers  and  observing  with  pleasure  how 
the  buds  were  swelling,  when  she  heard  voices 
hailing  her  from  the  summer-house.  Tom  Lane 
and  Blandina  Jaspyn  were  leaning  over  the  rail 
calling  'her. 

"What  are  those  tulips  apart  there?"  Blandina 
asked,  running  down  the  steps.  "Master  Lane 
and  I  did  but  venture  to  spread  a  bud  open  a 
little  to  see  the  base  when  Metje  rushed  out  and 
nearly  snapped  our  heads  from  off  our 
shoulders." 

Deeply  anxious,  Judith  sprang  to  where  hei- 
cherished  bulbs  were  planted  and  looked  them 
over  with  great  care.  The  flowers  had  grown 
almost  miraculously  in  the  day. 

"  'T  is  time  I  pulled  off  the  anthers,"  she  said. 
"I  must  fetch  a  little  cotton  wool." 

"But  that  is  no  mother  tulip,"  cried  Blandina. 
"  'T  is  so  strange  a  flower  I  never  saw  the  like." 

Judith  did  not  answer  her  but  went  into  the 
220 


house.  Returning  she  opened  a  tulip  gently 
(there  were  but  two  of  this  variety),  removed 
the  anthers,  and  covered  the  stigma  with  cotton, 
Tom  Lane,  new  to  the  business  of  breeding  tulips, 
watching  her  curiously  the  while. 

"What  is  it  you  are  doing?"  he  asked. 

"A  very  silly  thing,"  Marya,  called,  from  the 
summer-house  above  their  heads.  "  'T  is  no  by- 
Moemen  but  a  baguette;  that  I  '11  grant  you.  Yet 
Blandina  is  right  when  she  says  it  is  not  a 
breeder,  so  waste  not  your  time  over  it.  Instead 
come  here  and  improve  your  minds  by  watching 
the  Jonchere  de  Heem  teach  me  chess." 

Judith  paid  no  heed  to  Marya,  but  answered 
Tom. 

"This  tulip  is,  as  she  says,  a  baguette,  which 
means  a  tall,  strong-growng  variety.  If  it 
comes  true — and  it  is  so  coming — I  shall  make 
much  money  from  it,  as  I  think  I  told  you  once 
before,  and  I  am  taking  care  now  lest  the  seeds 
be  crossed.  I  myself  will  pollenize  it  as  soon  as 
its  stigma  is  sticky.  The  seed  then  also  will 
come  true." 

"  'Come  true'  ?"  Tom  murmured  vaguely,  the 
221 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

while  he  thought  scornfully  that  Judith  was  no? 
tending  her  fldwers  fo'r  love,  but  for  their  worth 
in  money. 

"I  have  a  painting  of  it  as  it  was  last  year," 
she  said.  'T  is  a  strange,  almost  an  evil- 
looking,  flower.  I  will  bring  it  to  show 
you." 

Again  she  went  to  the  house,  to  find  on  her  re- 
turn that  Nan  had  joined  the  party.  She  handed 
the  water-color  to  Blandina,  who  examined 
it  with  great  curiosity.  There  was  a  picture  of 
the  full  flower,  one  of  the  inside,  and  another  of 
a  single  dropping  petal. 

'T  is  a  dragon !"  the  girl  said  admiringly, 
"but  I  never  Saw  its  like.  Did  your  father  breed 
it?  Come,  Marya,  look  it  this.  'T  is  better 
Worth  seeing  than  your  chess-board." 

Thus  appealed  to,  Marya  and  Carolus  appeared 
on  the  steps,  both  studying  the  drawing  with  in- 
terest. 

"I  congratulate  you,  mademoiselle,"  Carolus 
said,  as  he  handed  back  the  picture.  "I  take  it 
what  you  have  there  is  a  sport.  -I  have  visited 
Monsieur  Morine's  and  other  famous  tulip  gar- 
dens and  I  have  never  seen  its  like;  but  I  should 

222 


ROBIN  MAKETH  A  CONFESSION 

not  call   it  evil-looking-,   although  't  is  unusual 
enough  to  be — exciting." 

These  Dutch  young  people  seemed  to  meet  on  a 
common  ground  of  knowledge  that  left  Tom 
and  Nan  outside  and  suited  both  of  them  very 
ill. 

"I  vow,"  exclaimed  that  young  lady,  "I  have 
had  enough  of  both  Dutch  and  English  for  my 
needs  until  this  day,  yet  now  I  understand  less 
than  the  half  of  what  you  say.  How  can  a 
dragon  be  a  flower  ?  'T  is  a  fabulous  monster, 
breathing  fire;  that  I  know." 

'T  is  but  the  name  of  a  strange  form  of  tulip 
which  by  some  is  also  called  monstre,  baby," 
Marya  Jaspyn  said  condescendingly,  the  term 
'baby'  stirring  deep  wrath  in  Nan's  breast. 

"And  what,  may  I  ask,  is  a  sport?"  Tom  in- 
quired. 

"A  sport,"  Carolus  took  it  upon  himself  to  ex- 
plain, "is  a  new  and  strange  variety  of  tulip  which 
springs  up  among  a  lot  of  blooms  of  a  known 
kind.  This  is  quite  distinct  from  the  breaking, 
or  rectification,  which  occurs  in  the  life  of  all 
solid-colored  tulips." 

"Now  I  am  right  glad   of    that!"    Tom   ex- 
223 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

claimed  flippantly.  "It  was  a  thing  that  trou- 
bled me  sorely." 

"Here  then  is  another  item  of  even  greater 
interest,"  Carolus  went  on  gravely,  refusing  to 
be  drawn  from  his  point.  "Sports,  for  the  most 
part,  are  permanent  and  their  offsets  come  true. 
If  these  buds  are  like  that  picture  when  they  open, 
the  bulbs  and  seeds  are  very  valuable.  I  congrat- 
ulate you."  This  remark  -seemed  to  be  ad- 
dressed more  to  Tom  than  to  Judith ;  but  the  girl 
replied  quietly: 

"I  thank  you.  We  had  but  the  one  bulb  last 
year,  so  there  were  no  seeds.  Of  the  bulbs  I 
now  have  two,  so  this  year  I  shall  save  seeds ;  but, 
as  I  intend  to  sell  the  bulbs,  all  must  go  together." 
The  girl  was  glowing  and  happy  for,  with  the 
tulips  about  to  bloom,  she  felt  her  deliverance 
near. 

At  the  news  that  Judith  meant  to  sell  her  bulbs, 
Marya  Jaspyn  cast  a  significant  glance  toward 
her  sister  which  Tom  caught.  Here  evidently 
was  added  evidence  of  Judith's  love  of  wealth  to 
the  girls,  too. 

"Had  I  such  a  wondrous  flower,  come  to  me  as 
a  gift  from  heaven,"  Marya  declared  sentimen- 

224 


ROBIN  MAKETH  A  CONFESSION 

tally,  "no  money  in  the  world  would  buy  it  from 
me.  And  were  I  rich  like  you,  Judith,  I  should 
save  the  seeds  -and  plant  my  own  garden  with  a 
rarity  the  whole  town  would  rush  to  stare  at." 

"Indeed,"  said  Nan,  hurrying  to  Judith's  de- 
fense, "that  would  be  a  silly  thing  to  do,  for 
'twould  be  most  unpleasant  to  have  the  whole 
town  staring  in.  It  would  keep  Krumm  barking 
as  he  is  barking  now,  which  would  be  deafening." 

"Run,  Nan.  Find  out  what  is  the  matter," 
Judith  suggested,  and  then  followed  the  child 
in  haste,  as  she  saw  the  Governor's  lady,  arriv- 
ing on  foot,  enter  her  gate. 


225 


CHAPTER  XVI 

IN  WHICH   THE  DRAGON   TULIP  BUDS 

THERE  was  no  help  for  it.  There  her  lady- 
ship was,  and  she  must  be  met  and  wel- 
comed. If  she  was  an  unwanted  guest  she  could 
not  be  allowed  to  see  it.  With  this  in  mind, 
Judith  hastened  forward  to  greet  Lady  Bellomont 
at  the  gate  and  escort  her  into  the  house,  where 
Moeye  Beletje  would  be  all  in  a  flutter  at  the 
honor. 

But  her  ladyship  willed  otherwise.  Catching 
sight  of  the  Jaspyns  dropping  curtesies  on  the 
steps  of  the  summer-house,  she  decided  that  she 
would  be  entertained  there. 

"This  weather  is  so  glorious,"  she  said  to  Here 
de  Heem,  who  had  come  out  to  be  presented  with 
due  ceremony,  "we  should  enjoy  it  while  we  may, 
for  in  this  fickle  climate  we  know  not  what  a  day 
may  bring  forth." 

So  into  the  summer-house  she  went,  and  Nan 
226 


THE  DRAGON  TULIP  BUDS 

was  sent  to  warn  Vrouw  de  Heem,  whose  heart 
would  be  broken  did  she  not  meet  the  distin- 
guished visitor. 

Once  they  were  seated  in  the  summer-house 
the  conversation  became  general,  and  Marya 
Jaspyn,  who  was  ever  eager  to  commend  herself 
to  any  one  of  rank  or  importance,  produced  the 
picture  of  the  dragon  tulip. 

"What's  this?"  inquired  her  ladyship,  peer- 
ing at  it  through  her  glass.  "I  ne  'er  saw  such  a 
plant  in  all  my  days." 

"Is  it  not  curious?"  said  Marya  proudly. 
"Never  before  was  there  such  a  flower." 

"Look  at  it,  Here  de  Heem,"  said  Lady  Bello- 
mont  suavely ;  "  't  is  the  product  of  the  artist's 
fancy  no  doubt." 

De  Heem  took  the  parchment  and  examined 
the  drawing;  then  he  flung  it  carelessly  upon  the 
center-table,  whence  Carolus  picked  it  up  and 
passed  it  politely  to  Judith. 

"  'T  is  a  monstre,"  said  De  Heem,  "colored  by 
some  one  with  a  sense  of  humor.  The  intention 
is  assuredly  to  excite  the  curiosity  of  the  un- 
wary, wherefore  colors  have  been  supplied  with- 
out stint.  There  have  been  rumors  of  monstres 

227 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

marquetrines  with  five  colors,  Lady  Bellomont," 
he  explained,  "but  this  artist  was  over-generous : 
he  supplied  six." 

"Would  such  a  tulip  be  of  value?"  Marya 
asked,  all  of  a  twitter  with  excitement. 

"Its  worth  would  be  fabulous — as  fabulous  as 
its  picture!"  De  Heem  replied  indifferently.  In 
truth  he  had  disliked  Marya  ever  since  he  sus- 
pected Carolus  of  a  weakness  for  her  and  now 
enjoyed  snubbing  her. 

"But  Judith  hath  such  a  sport!"  Marya  cried, 
refusing  to  be  set  in  her  place.  "Two  of  them !" 

"What !"  exclaimed  De  Heem  and  Lady  Bello- 
mont together ;  then  in  a  moment  both  had  mas- 
tered their  excitement. 

"That  is  vastly  interesting,"  drawled  her 
ladyship,  leaning  back  languidly  in  her  chair  of 
Chinese  bamboo.  "You  must  show  us  your  trea- 
sure, Juffrouw  Van  Taarl." 

"  'T  is  doubtless  grossly  flattered  in  the 
picture,"  De  Heem  said.  "Had  there  been  a 
flower  of  this  character  about  the  place  I  should 
not  have  failed  to  see  it." 

"It  is  not  yet  in  bloom,"  Judith  affirmed,  "but 
the  buds  are  swelling.  As  it  interests  you,  Lady 

228 


THE  DRAGON  TULIP  BUDS 

Bellomont,  I  shall  be  pleased  if  you  will  pay  it  the 
compliment  of  drinking  tea  here  in  its  honor  when 
it  is  in  its  prime." 

•Before  her  ladyship  could  answer,  Metje 
appeared  in  the  kitchen  doorway,  beckoning  to 
Judith.  Foreseeing  what  the  difficulty  would 
prove,  the  girl  had  yet  no  alternative  but  to  go. 
She  took  the  picture  with  her  to  leave  it  in  safety, 
and,  having  made  due  apology,  she  hurried  to 
the  kitchen  where  she  found  a  battle  royal  in 
progress  between  Moeye  Beletje  and  Metje  just 
as  she  had  expected. 

"Judith,  where  are  your  keys?"  her  aunt  at 
once  demanded,  her  face  doubly  red  with  annoy- 
ance and  her  haste  in  dressing.  "The  best  silver 
must  be  set  forth  in  recognition  of  such  an  honor." 

"And  it  black  as  Krumm's  nose,"  sniffed  Metje, 
as  angry  as  the  older  woman.  "Thank  heaven 
the  meisje  is  no  such  fool." 

"Am  I  a  fool  to  wish  to  show  the  mighty  ones 
that  we  know  what  is  their  due?"  Vrouw  de 
Heem  snapped. 

Such  bickerings  were  not  to  Judith's  taste, 
although  they  were  frequent  enough  in  house- 
holds where  the  servants  were  of  equal  birth  and 

229 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

standing  with  their  master's,  partaking,  indeed, 
of  the  nature  of  family  quarrels,  with  no  ill  feel- 
ing remaining  on  either  side  when  once  a  settle- 
ment was  arrived  at.  But  now  the  girl  had 
neither  time  nor  patience  to  end  this  difficulty 
diplomatically. 

"The  pewter  must  do  us,"  she  said  firmly;  "an 
the  food  is  good,  they  '11  not  think  of  the  service." 

She  hurried  to  the  store  closet,  where  her  aunt 
followed  her  in  battle  array. 

"I  do  not  complain  that  you  belittle  me  in  face 
of  the  servant,"  she  said  tearfully.  "To  that  I 
am  well  used,  but  I  cannot  stand  by  silent  and 
see  Dutch  honor  trailed  in  the  dust  before  the 
proud  English.  This  fine  milady  will  think 
we  've  naught  save  kitchen  dishes  to  eat  from." 

"Consider,  then,  Moeye  Beletje,"  Judith  said 
coaxingly,  "the  silver  will  be  tarnished.  For 
hours  must  Metje  rub  it  well  with  a  soft  deer- 
skin ere  it  will  do  us  credit.  Fortunately  her 
ladyship  hath  chosen  to  sit  in  the  summer-house ; 
therefore  a  rustical  entertainment  is  in  order. 
So  waste  no  more  of  your  time  indoors,  but  come 
with  me  and  pour  the  tea  for  us.  I  'se  warrant 

230 


THE  DRAGON  TULIP  BUDS 

Lady  Bellomont  never  tasted  better,  as  you  will 
serve  it  to  her." 

Thus  cajoled,  Vrouw  de  Heem  consented  to  go 
to  the  summer-house  where,  in  Judith's  absence, 
the  party  had  broken  up  into  groups. 

Tom  and  Blandina  had  seated  themselves  on 
the  steps.  Carolus  and  Marya  were  perched  on 
the  railing,  deep  in  talk,  and  Here  de  Heem  and 
Lady  Bellomont  had  withdrawn  themselves  to 
the  other  side  of  the  pleasure-house  and  were 
seemingly  admiring  the  prospect  from  there. 

"Tell  me  something  of  these  tulips,"  the  lady 
had  said,  with  just  the  shade  of  interest  proper 
in  one  who  was  making  polite  conversation. 
"Have  I  not  heard  that  there  were  fortunes  made 
in  them  in  the  Lowlands  ?" 

"That  was  fifty  years  ago,  during  the  height 
of  the  tulip  mania,"  De  Heem  replied,  none  too 
pleased  at  her  pursuing  the  subject.  "Thousand 
of  florins  were  given  for  the  Admiral  van  der 
Eyck  and  the  Semper  Augustus.  You  see  it 
there,"  he  pointed,  "not  yet  open.  It  has  red 
markings  on  a  white  ground.  But  most  of  the 
high  prices  were  the  result  of  speculations  in  the 

231 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

collegiums  or  clubs,  formed  solely  for  dealing  in 
tulips,  at  Delft,  Alkmaar,  Enkhuisen,  and  such 
places.  This  was  gaming,  pure  and  simple,  the 
last  thing  the  gamesters  expected  being  to  handle 
the  bulbs  they  bought  or  sold  so  lavishly." 

"Then  to-day  such  bulbs  have  no  value?"  the 
noble  lady  asked,  watching  her  companion  under 
lowered  lids. 

"I  'd  not  say  that,"  De  Heem  returned  cau- 
tiously. "They  have  value  if  they  are  rare  or 
new ;  but  I  tell  you  plainly  I  have  no  faith  in  this 
monstre  of  Judith's.  The  picture  is  overdone; 
be  sure  of  that." 

"And  yet,"  suggested  her  ladyship,  softly,  ?'an 
it  were  as  it  is  drawn,  it  would  be  valuable?" 

"Aye,"  De  Heem  acknowledged  unwillingly,  "it 
would  have  a  value." 

"Then,"  the  lady  went  on,  "you  cannot  think 
it  right  to  leave  it  in  the  hands  of  a  child.  It 
should  be  taken  up  and  properly  cared  for  in 
order  to  make  the  most  of  it — for  Judith,"  she 
added  smoothly,  still  measuring  the  man  beside 
her  beneath  her  drooping  lids. 

"For  Judith,  to  be  sure,"  De  Heem  agreed; 
for  of  a  sudden  he  saw  that  this  way  was  safety. 

232 


THE  DRAGON  TULIP  BUDS 

It  mattered  little  if  he  got  a  share  of  the  price 
of  the  tulip,  but  in  it  he  was  sure  lay  Judith's 
deliverance  from  his  yoke.  It  must  be  taken 
from  her,  at  least  until  such  time  as  she  was 
safely  wedded  to  Carolus.  He  therefore  turned 
to  the  woman  beside  him  with  more  interest. 

"What  you  say  is  wise,"  he  told  her,  "but  my 
wife's  niece  is  headstrong  and  set  upon  manag- 
ing her  own  affairs.  For  me  to  make  a  sugges- 
tion is  to  insure  its  rejection;  yet  I  have  come 
far  to  be  of  use  to  her." 

"Let  not  her  childish  peevishness  deter  you," 
Lady  Bellomont  said.  "In  the  end  she  must 
thank  you." 

"What  is  it  you  would  suggest?"  De  Heem 
asked,  benevolence  radiating  from  him.  "I  am 
well  satisfied  that  you  would  advise  me  only  for 
the  young  girl's  good." 

"The  tulips  should  be  lifted  and  set  out  of 
danger,"  her  ladyship  said  smoothly.  "Where 
they  are  now,  a  rooting  pig  might  make  an  end 
of  them." 

De  Heem  shrugged  his  shoulders  regretfully. 

"  'T  is  a  good  thought,"  he  acknowledged, 
"though  I  had  not  the  wit  to  come  by  it  without 

233 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

you ;  but,  for  me,  't  is  impossible.  lama  guest 
here  and  have  no  private  place  to  guard  the 
bulbs." 

"My  friend,"  Lady  Bellomont's  voice  was  as 
sweet  as  strained  honey,  "who  is  fitter  than  the 
governor  of  the  Province  to  undertake  such  a 
trust?  Our  house  is  open  to  you,  night  or  day." 
She  swept  from  her  side  to  receive  his  wife's 
curtesies,  and  De  Heem  stood  where  she  had 
left  him  deep  in  the  possibilities  her  words  had 
suggested. 

In  the  confusion  attendant  upon  the  arrival  of 
Vrouw  de  Heem  and  the  tea-board  with  izer- 
ko okies,  nut-cakes,  and  oblies,  Nan  rolled  out 
from  under  the  table  where  she  had  been  sooth- 
ing Krumm,  whose  dislike  of  De  Heem  was  ever 
ready  to  burst  forth.  No  one  paid  her  much 
heed,  which  was  as  well,  for  her  face  was  a  tale- 
bearer. 

The  tea-party,  despite  the  pewter,  went  on  right 
merrily,  although  Marya  did  seize  an  opportunity 
to  whisper  in  Tom's  ear  a  query  as  to  when  he 
had  seen  the  Van  Taarl  silver  last. 

"  'T  is  all  base  metal  here,"  she  giggled.  "I 
234 


THE  DRAGON  TULIP  BUDS 

wonder  hath  she  turned  her  table  service  into 
coin  to  hoard  with  her  other  wealth." 

The  suggestion  was  not  a  welcome  one  to  Tom, 
who  well  remembered  the  richness  of  the  fittings 
on  the  day  Judith  had  been  set  free  of  the  Lords 
Orphan  Masters ;  yet  it  seemed  to  him  that  Marya 
was  base  herself,  to  eat  Judith's  food  and  sneer 
at  her  behind  her  back. 

"Have  you  ever  heard  that  he  who  shares  the 
Arab's  bread  and  salt  for  that  day  is  accounted 
and  counts  himself  a  friend?"  he  asked  the  girl 
coldly. 

"And  so  am  I  Judith's  friend.  Am  I  not  of  her 
own  Company?"  Marya  said,  round-eyed  and 
innocent.  "Surely  't  is  not  the  best  friend  who 
holds  us  faultless,  thus  giving  us  no  opportunity 
to  improve." 

"You  scarce  give  her  that  opportunity  when 
you  fault  her  unheard,"  Tom  pointed  out. 
"Would  it  not  be  better—" 

Marya  flirted  around  on  one  red  heel,  giving 
her  full  skirts  a  telling  twirl. 

"Oh,  wae!"  she  exclaimed,  "you  are  like  to 
my  sister,  who  can  stand  no  hint  that  Judith  is 

235 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

not  perfection.  I  had  liefer  talk  to  the  Jonchere 
de  Heem,  who  is  a  man  of  the  world  and,  having 
looked  into  more  than  one  pair  of  eyes  in  his  day, 
can  hear  me  without  prejudice.  Had  he  a 
wondrous  flower  such  as  Judith's  he  would  not 
part  with  it  for  unneeded  money,  nor  would  I." 

She  slipped  across  the  summer-house  to  seat 
herself  beside  Carolus's  cup,  he  having  left  it 
to  attend  for  a  moment  or  two  on  Lady  Bello- 
mont. 

That  lady,  having  had  her  tea,  was  growing 
tired  of  the  provincial  company,  so  she  rose,  seiz- 
ing Judith  by  the  arm. 

"After  I  have  eaten  I  walk  for  my  figure's 
sake,"  she  said  amiably.  "You  are  too  young, 
my  dear,  to  be  put  to  such  expedients;  but,  as 
none  of  my  attendants  are  here,  I  pray  you  will 
wait  upon  me  while  I  pace  about  your  grounds. 
No,  no !"  she  motioned  the  others  to  resume  their 
places,  "my  little  hostess  is  all  the  companion  I 
need,  and  I  would  not  spoil  your  pleasant  gather- 
ing where  each  lady  hath  her  swain." 

Together  she  and  Judith  paced  slowly  around 
the  garden,  the  girl  determined  to  hold  her  peace 
until  Lady  Bellomont  had  said  her  say,  for  if  she 

236 


THE  DRAGON  TULIP  BUDS 

had  forgotten  Robin  there  was  no  need  to  remind 
her  of  him. 

"It  was  deplorable  that  your  friend,  the  pirate, 
fled  ere  we  questioned  him,"  Lady  Bellomont 
broke  the  silence  when  they  were  beyond  hearing 
of  the  others  and  at  once  dispelled  this  hope. 
She  had  not  forgotten.  Now  it  remained  to  make 
her  'believe,  an  it  were  possible,  that  Robin's  tale 
was  true.  Judith  made  all  haste  to  speak 
promptly,  lest  she  arouse  a  suspicion  that  she 
pondered  her  answer. 

"I  questioned  him  before  he  sailed,"  she  said. 
"He  has  no  secret,  if  we  except  the  secret  that  he 
is  no  pirate." 

"What  is  your  riddle?"  Lady  Bellomont  asked, 
coldly  suspicious  at  once. 

"Tis  no  riddle,"  Judith  said;  "simply  the 
truth.  He  made  up  the  tale  that  he  once  was  a 
pirate  to  amuse  the  children  and  silly  women." 
Yet,  as  she  said  it,  she  realized  how  unreal  it 
sounded  and  did  not  blame  the  governor's  lady 
for  doubting  the  story. 

"In  sooth,"  she  went  on,  "I  know  that  the 
words  from  my  lips  are  cold  and  unconvincing, 
but  I  believed  the  man.  He  greatly  feared  the 

237 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

story  would  get  out  to  destroy  the  character  of 
romance  he  had  invented." 

"But  what  need  to  run  away?"  Lady  Bellomont 
asked,  still  unsatisfied. 

Judith  started.  She  had  not  asked  herself  this 
question.  Surely,  if  Robin  were  as  innocent  as 
he  said,,  he  need  not  conceal  himself.  Then  she 
thought  of  Metje  and  was  ready  to  laugh.  He 
had  wanted  a  good  excuse  for  taking  employment 
near  her. 

"Did  he  run  away?"  she  asked.  "I  think  not. 
Sailors  are  not  very  provident,  and  it  is  possible 
that  empty  pockets  sent  him  to  work.  Indeed  I 
can  say  no  more  save  that  he  convinced  me  of  his 
good  faith,  and  I  am  sorry  that  I  can  cry  you  no 
better  news." 

At  this  Lady  Bellomont,  who  for  the  moment 
had  given  up  hope,  showed  her  a  white  face  and 
wrung  her  hands  nervously. 

"I  will  not  stay  here.  I  will  not !  I  will  not ! 
I  hate  this  town  and  I  hate  its  people,  who  turn 
their  flat  Dutch  faces  the  other  way  when  I  drive 
by  and  drink  Colonel  Fletcher's  health  to  spite 
my  husband." 

It  was  plain  the  noble  lady  was  greatly  over- 
238 


THE  DRAGON  TULIP  BUDS 

wrought.  Used  to  pleasure  and  admiration,  the 
life  of  a  great  city  and  of  a  court,  it  was  not 
strange  that  she  found  little  to  compensate  for 
the  loss  of  such  delights  in  a  provincial  residency, 
where  her  husband  was  busy  far  into  the  night 
with  affairs  of  state  and  she  sat  alone  and 
desolate. 

"Money  I  must  and  will  have,"  she  declared 
passionately.  "  'T  is  your  Dutch  king  of  Eng- 
land sends  us  here  into  exile,  and  Jt  is  no  more 
than  just  that  his  Dutch  subjects  should  pay  well 
for  our  services.  We  owe  them  naught  of  kind- 
liness ;  that  all  must  allow." 

"I  do  not  catch  your  ladyship's  meaning," 
Judith  said,  a  trifle  coldly,  "but  I  must  remind 
you  that  I  myself  am  Dutch.  Although  the 
news  I  brought  you  is  unwelcome,  yet  it  is  true 
news  and  was  not  come  by  without  trouble." 

"Yes,  yes,"  her  ladyship  returned  indifferently, 
"doubtless  you  think  it  true.  You  're  but  a  child, 
easy  to  delude,  yet  I  would  have  you  remember 
that  you  had  a  chance  to  aid  me  and  you  let  it 
slip.  And  now  my  coach  is  come  and  I  am 
going." 

The  others  hurried  to  bid  her  farewell,  and  all 
239 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

the  gentlemen  attended  her  to  her  coach;  .but  it 
was  on  Here  de  Heem's  arm  that  she  -placed  the 
tips  of  her  fingers  as  she  walked  down  the  bricked 
path,  and  it  was  he  who  leaned  through  the  win- 
dow to  hear  her  last  words. 

"Be  guided  by  me,"  she  said  softly.  "Do  not 
let  that  child  destroy  valuable  property,  even 
though  it  be  her  own.  Surely  we  can  better 
guard  it  for  her." 

Before  De  Heem  could  reply  the  horses  started 
and  the  coach  clattered  off  over  the  cobbles. 


240 


CHAPTER  XVII 

IN  WHICH  A  PLOT  UNFOLDS 

'TT7HAT,  think  you,  brought  her  ladyship 
VY  here?"  Blandina  asked  Judith,  as,  with 
linked  arms,  they  walked  back  to  the  summer- 
house. 

"I  fancy  she  is  lonesome,"  the  girl  replied 
evasively.  "I  am  sorry  for  the  poor  creature. 
She  seems  to  suffer  from  the  unpopularity  of  the 
Governor  and  her  lack  of  friends." 

"I'm  not  sorry  for  her,"  Blandina  said;  "no, 
not  at  all.  She  has  her  husband  and  her  children 
and  her  house  to  order.  What  more  does  any 
Dutch  lady  need?" 

"But  she  is  not  a  Dutch  lady,"  Judith  laughed, 
"an  't  is  plain  that  she  is  used  to  luxuries  and 
pleasures  that  she  lacks  here.  In  truth  she  told 
me  that  if  she  frad  a  fortune  she  would  implore 
her  husband  to  go  home." 

"Then  keep  a  watch  on  your  tulip,"  Blandina 
241 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

warned  her  unexpectedly.  "I  am  quite  sure  she 
hath  set  covetous  eyes  upon  it." 

'The  tulip !"  Judith  cried  amazed.  "Nay,  she 
Was  not  interested  in  it.  The  English  do  not 
value  such  things  as  we  do.  She  never  gave  it  a 
second  thought." 

"Indeed  you  are  mistaken,"  Blandina  replied 
nervously.  "She  asked  Marya  to  show  her  where 
it  was  planted.  I  wished  she  had  directed  her 
wrong,  or  at  least  had  been  less  particular  about  it. 
But  you  know  Marya's  way  with  any  one  grand. 
'T  is  strange  to  me  that  so  sweet  a  girl  should  be 
so  silly." 

While  this  was  going  on  in  the  summer-house 
Metje  was  out  back  having  a  word  with  Robin. 

"To-day  we  are  honored,"  she  said  grimly. 
"The  Governor's  lady  is  here  again  and  there's 
talk  on  all  sides  of  the  tulip  my  young  mistress 
sets  such  store  by.  They  say  it 's  worth  a  mort 
of  money,  Robin." 

"Then  trouble  yourself  not  about  it,"  he  said 
comfortably.  "One  of  those  robbers,  De  Heem 
or  the  Lady  Bellomont,  will  rid  her  of  it  shortly. 
Look  rather  at  those  birds;  they  show  a  change 

242 


IN  WHICH  A  PLOT  UNFOLDS 

of  weather.  They  are  gulls,  Metje,  free  to  come 
and  go  over  the  clean  blue  water.  You  Ve 
crossed  the  ocean,  girl.  Dost  never  long  for  the 
smell  of  it  ?  For  the  slap  of  a  wave  on  the  side, 
for—" 

"Nay,  then,"  said  Metje,  "pull  up,  Robin. 
This  is  no  time  for  backsliding.  I  Ve  work  for 
you  to  do  to-night." 

"Work  for  me?"  Robin  spoke  aggrievedly. 
"Dost  never  like  to  see  a  man  tip  back  his  chair 
and  smoke  a  pipe?  You  drive  me  all  day  till  my 
back  is  like  to  break  and  I  have  n't  the  spirit  in 
me  to  backslide." 

"Now  that 's  too  bad,"  said  Metje,  "for  the 
work  I  Ve  planned  for  you  is  not  such  as  Sister 
Kate  would  favor.  Rather  is  it  fitted  to  the  days 
that  are  gone." 

At  this  Robin  could  not  conceal  a  start;  then 
he  shook  his  head. 

"Small  chance  erf  your  helping  me  to  real 
work,"  he  said,  with  pretended  hopelessness. 
"There's  no  such  luck  for  me.  Your  liking  is 
for  seeing  me  so  besmeared  with  this  loving  stuff" 
— he  lifted  a  handful  of  the  soft  soil  and  threw 

243 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

it  down  again, — "that  I  myself  know  not  Robin 
Marrow.  Nay,  nay,  't  is  gardening  by  moonlight 
you  '11  be  setting  me  on  to  do." 

"Now  how  knew  you  that?"  Metje  asked, 
looking  at  him  as  though  she  thought  him  a 
wizard.  "Not  that  I  think  there'll  be  much 
moonlight.  The  moon  changeth,  and  with  it  the 
weather,  or  I  miss  my  guess." 

"So  the  gulls  said." 

"I've  no  faith  in  them,  but  the  blacker  the 
night  the  better  for  your  task." 

"Woman,"  said  Robin,  "I  pray  you  tell  your 
tale.  I  had  no  hope  of  lustier  employ,  so  I  am 
none  disappointed." 

'T  is  easy  told,"   said  Metje  brazenly.     "I 
want  you  to  steal  the  mistress's  tulips." 

"Now  that,"  said  Robin,  "I  did  not  expect. 
Nor  do  I  love  it  now  I  've  got  it.  'T  is  not  like 
thee,  Metje,  my  lass,  to  bite  the  hand  that  feeds 
thee." 

"She  feed  me,"  cried  Metje.  "  'T  is  I  feed  her. 
But  that 's  neither  here  nor  there.  Let 's  put  it 
that  I  myself  -am  minded  for  once  to  backslide. 
The  tulips  must  be  stolen.  Wilt  do  it  for  me  or 
must  I  e'en  do  it  alone?" 

244 


"Nay,"  Robin  objected,  "I  Ve  gold  for  gew- 
gaws at  thy  pleasure." 

"I  want  no  gold  from  you,"  declared  Metje 
angrily.  "I  want  those  tulips,  and  naught  else 
will  do  me." 

"Eh,  lass,"  said  Robin  dolefully,  "'tis  my 
wild  talk  hath  turned  thee  from  thy  duty,  I  that 
had  rather  cut  out  my  tongue  than  that  it  should 
lead  thee  wrong.  Thou  art  not  like  me,  streaked 
good  and  bad  as  bacon  is  striped  with  fat  and 
lean;  thou  art  all  clear  good,  and  cannot  talk  of 
backsliding  who  hath  never  done  a  wrong." 

"  'T  is  never  too  late  to  learn,  they  say."  Metje 
hid  a  grin  at  his  earnestness.  "An  thou  hast 
turned  timid,  there  are  other  lads  of  spirit  I  can 
call  on.  For  one,  there  's  Pieter  van  der  Poel, 
who  waits  at  the  City  Tavern." 

"Let  him  wait!"  shouted  Robin.  "I'll  crack 
his  silly  pate  if  he  dares  so  much  as  to  look  at 
yon  tulips." 

"  'T  is  a  mean  spirit  that  refuseth  help,  nor  is 
willing  that  another  shall  do  what  he  hath  not  the 
daring  to  attempt." 

"The  daring,  say  you?"  Robin  snatched  the 
words  from  her  mouth.  "What  risk  need  I  run  ? 

245 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

'T  is  one  of  the  things  that  sickens  me  of  the  job. 
Krumm  knows  me.  The  young  mistress  trusts 
me.  Were  I  caught  in  the  very  act  I  would  only 
need  to  say  that  I  planned  to  lift  the  bulbs  to  pro- 
tect them  from  thieves  and  she  would  take  my 
word  for  't." 

"Aye,  that  she  would,"  Metje  nodded  com- 
placently. "I  had  thought  of  all  that  in  making 
my  plan.  Now  this  is  what  you  must  do.  I  will 
leave  a  spade  and  an  iron  bucket  without  the  door, 
for  we  must  be  most  particular  to  do  the  flowers 
no  hurt.  Then,  when  the  watch  hath  passed  on 
its  rounds,  you  must  slip  from  outside  over  the 
wall  in  the  shade  of  yon  tree,  which  is  well  ad- 
vanced for  the  season,  breaking  a  branch  to  show 
where  you  came  in  and  throw  suspicion  on  a 
stranger.  If  you  are  seen,  I  '11  tell  the  truth,  that 
you  came  for  the  flowers  at  my  bidding,  thinking 
to  save  them  from  those  having  designs  on  them." 

"The  truth?"  cried  Robin.  "The  truth?  O 
Metje,  lass,  is  this  indeed  the  truth  ?" 

He  seized  her  by  the  arms  and  looked  into  her 
eyes,  regardless  of  the  fact  they  would  be  seen  if 
those  in  the  summer-house  glanced  in  their  direc- 
tion. 

246 


IN  WHICH  A  PLOT  UNFOLDS 

.Metje,  however,  had  not  lost  sight  of  the  others 
and  tore  herself  out  of  his  grasp  hastily. 

"Well  are  you  named  Simple  Simon,"  she  said, 
"For  it  takes  little  skill  to  gull  you.  Dost  think 
that  I  would  wrong  the  juffer  after  all  these  years 
by  her  side?  But  of  late  I  Ve  come  to  see  that 
she  is  under  some  kind  of  a  vow  to  her  father 
and  is  not  rich  as  I  have  thought  her.  These  De 
Heems  she  would  rid  herself  of  an  she  were  able, 
and  't  is  my  belief  that  she  counteth  on  the  tulip 
to  turn  the  scale  for  her.  That  being  the  case, 
we  must  save  it;  for,  as  you  justly  said,  with  two 
such  foxes  as  the  here  and  the  governor's  lady 
on  the  scent,  it  is  far  from  safe." 

"We  '11  save  it  for  her,  Metje,"  Robin  declared, 
now  as  hot  for  the  plan  as  he  had  been  cold  be- 
fore, "but  can  we  move  the  bulbs  without  harm 
to  them?" 

"I  will  water  them  to-night,"  Metje  explained. 
"As  you  say,  this  soil  is  loving  stuff,  yet  around 
the  tulips  we  have  limed  it  well,  so  take  care  to 
dig  both  wide  and  deep  in  case  there  should 
be  droppers.  I  think  if  you  dig  around  them 
so" — she  took  his  spade  and  dug  deeply  in  a 
circle, — "and  if  the  earth  holds  to  the  bulbs  as 

247 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

it  should,  being  sticky  with  moisture,  we'll  do 
no  harm." 

"At  least 't  is  worth  the  risk,  for  otherwise  she 
will  have  no  bulbs,"  Robin  said,  and  thus  the 
plan  was  agreed  upon. 

In  the  summer-house  the  guests  were  making 
ready  for  departure,  Tom  and  Carolus  having 
volunteered  to  walk  home  with  the  Jaspyn  girls. 
While  the  older  members  of  the  party  had 
laughed  and  talked,  Nan  had  seated  herself  on 
the  step  to  share  her  kookies  with  Krumm.  At 
first  she  had  been  impatient  for  the  others  to  be 
gone,  so  that  she  might  run  to  Judith  with  the 
tale  of  what  she  had  overheard,  but  soon  she 
found  reasons  for  doing  naught  of  the  sort. 

"An  I  tell  Judith,"  she  said  to  herself,  "full 
well  do  I  know  what  she  will  do.  She  will  make 
light  of  it,  thinking  I  have  misunderstood,  for 
is  not  the  Here  de  Heem  in  some  sort  her  uncle  ? 
And  he  might  be  acting  in  good  faith,  yet  if  the 
tulips  fall  into  her  ladyship's  hands  I  fear  nor 
Judith  nor  he  will  get  any  profit  of  them."  The 
•child  knit  her  brows  and  turned  this  over  in  her 
head.  "Should  I  insist  that  there  was  danger, 
she  would  set  Robin  to  watch,  and  this  I  will  not 

248 


IN  WHICH  A  PLOT  UNFOLDS 

have.  He  likes  such  employ  too  well.  I  have 
done  with  putting  him  in  the  way  of  temptation, 
and  there  must  be  some  better  plan." 

For  some  time  she  continued  to  puzzle  over  the 
situation  but  at  last  jumped  to  her  feet  and  raced 
off,  followed  by  Krumm.  Metje  and  Robin  she 
saw  in  the  garden.  Peeping  into  the  kitchen  she 
discovered  her  nurse  nodding  by  the  fire,  and 
slipped  away  without  disturbing  her  to  enter  the 
out-kitchen,  where  she  seized  upon  a  good-sized 
pot  with  a  handle.  Then  she  opened  the  door 
of  the  shed  where  garden  tools  were  kept,  found 
a  spudd  and  put  it  in  the  pot,  hiding  both  under 
the  Persian  lilac  bush,  after  which  she  danced  off 
with  Krumm,  very  well  pleased  with  herself  and 
for  the  moment  without  a  care,  to  find  the  other 
guests  departed. 

Tom  and  Blandina  led  the  way  over  the  big 
cobbles  that  made  walking  in  most  of  the  streets 
of  New  Yorke  far  from  a  pleasure.  However, 
they  were  used  to  such  going  and  managed  to 
keep  up  a  conversation,  notwithstanding  the 
necessity  of  picking  their  foot-steps. 

Blandina  it  was  who  opened  the  subject  of  the 
tulip,  being  still  worried  that  her  sister  had 

249 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

brought  the  matter  so  particularly  to  Lady  Bello- 
mont's  attention. 

"I  would  that  Marya  were  not  so  forward  with 
other  people's  business,"  she  sighed.  "Often  do 
I  regret  that  she  was  not  entered  in  a  younger 
Company,  for  't  is  her  youth,  most  like,  that  mak- 
eth  her  so  rash." 

"You  mean  about  the  tulip.  I  don't  think 
Lady  Bellomont  would  value  it." 

"She  would  value  anything  worth  money," 
Blandina  assured  him  sharply.  "I  tried  to  con- 
vince Judith  of  this,  but  she  would  not  listen. 
She  is  too  sweet  and  true  to  suspect  guile  in 
others." 

"Yet  she  seems  to  have  a  just  appreciation  of 
the  worth  of  her  belongings,"  Tom  began,  but 
Blandina  turned  on  him,  with  a  spirit  unlocked 
for  in  the  placid  Dutch  girl. 

"And  now  you  sing  Marya's  song!"  she  cried 
indignantly.  "Would  you  like  it  better  if  Judith 
were  a  spendthrift  and  scattered  her  fortune? 
What  right  have  Marya  and  you  to  judge  her, 
who  know  not  for  what  high  purpose  she  may 
plan  to  use  her  wealth?" 

"Juffrouw  Jaspyn,  you  are  in  the  right  of  it," 
250 


IN  WHICH  A  PLOT  UNFOLDS 

Tom  said  humbly.  "Moreover  I  agree  with  you 
that  this  tulip  should  be  protected.  Lady  Bello- 
mont  is  a  devious  woman." 

But  Tom  had  criticized  her  friend.  Say  what 
he  might,  he  felt  that  he  had  fallen  in  Blandina's 
regard. 

"Now  go  I  home  to  a  scolding,"  Marya  had 
whispered  to  Carolus,  as  the  gate  closed  behind 
them.  "I  know  my  sister  well.  She  will  to 
moeder  with  a  tale  of  how  I  pushed  myself  for- 
ward in  your — in  Lady  Bellomont's  regard." 

"For  Lady  Bellomont  I  cannot  speak,  but  in 
my  regard — what  need  to  push  forward  where 
one  already  leads  the  way  ?"  Carolus's  tone  was 
so  light  and  mocking  that  even  Marya  could  not 
take  it  seriously.  She  menaced  him  playfully 
with  her  fan;  then  raised  it  to  shade  her  eyes  as 
she  went  on. 

"That  will  not  be  the  only  count  against  me. 
Her  ladyship  is  my  friend  and  I  trust  her,  but 
she  hath  many  enemies  especially  among  the  truly 
Dutch ;  and  I  shall  be  blamed  that  I  gossiped  of 
Judith's  flower,  when,  in  truth,  my  love  of  tulips 
is  so  great  that  I  was  carried  away  and  thought 
not  at  all  to  whom  I  spoke." 

251 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"But  what  harm  could  it  do  to  speak  of  the 
tulip  to  Lady  Bellomont  ?"  Carolus  asked  puzzled. 

"  'T  is  vile  gossip  such  as  I  thank  heaven  never 
passeth  my  lips  about  a  fellow-being,"  Marya 
said  piously,  "yet  there  be  those  who  say  that  her 
ladyship  is  needy,  with  vast  gambling  debts  in 
England.  They  say  she  borrows  without  the  in- 
tent to  return.  Now  /  trust  her,  and  I  am  sure 
that  she  would  no  more  plot  against  the  posses- 
sions of  another  than  would — than  would  your 
own  father." 

"Humm,"  said  Carolus,  "  't  is  indeed  a  convinc- 
ing comparison  you  have  hit  upon." 

And  so  they  reached  the  Jaspyn  house  and 
parted. 

Meanwhile  Vrouw  de  Heem,  loudly  chanting 
Lady  Bellomont's  praises,  had  entered  the  house 
to  make  Metje  and  Nurse  Kate  her  audience,  and 
Judith  hastened  to  set  Nan  at  a  lesson;  but  the 
child,  with  a  finger  marking  her  place,  turned  to 
her  with  a  wrinkled  brow. 

"Judith,"  she  said,  "have  I  surprised  a  secret? 
Is  that  strange  tulip  of  vast  importance  to  you?" 

For  a  moment  Judith  hesitated.  True  to  her 
father's  commands,  she  had  taken  no  one  into  her 

252 


IN  WHICH  A  PLOT  UNFOLDS 

confidence,  but  this  child  loved  her  and  more- 
over would  scarce  understand  all  that  the  words, 
conveyed. 

"It  has  come  true,  Nan,  and  that  means  that  I 
will  soon  be  free  from  bondage."  What  more 
she  might  have  said  was  interrupted  by  a  great 
noise  as  Krumm  attacked  some  one  on  the  other 
side  of  the  house. 

Nan  was  off  like  an  arrow  from  the  bow,  and 
Judith,  not  slow  to  follow  her,  arrived  in  time 
to  see  her  seize  the  hound,  of  whom  she  had  no 
fear,  as  he  was  menacing  Here  de  Heem  for 
striking  at  him  with  his  staff. 

"Bid  him  cease,"  she  panted,  as  Judith  reached 
her  side.  "Krumm  will  not  stand  much  more." 

"Here  de  Heem,"  cried  Judith,  "do  you  not 
see  that  you  are  enraging  the  dog?  He  will  not 
submit  to  chastisement  from  a  stranger." 

"Indeed,  then,"  De  Heem  shouted,  "  't  is  I  who 
will  not  submit  to  his  harrying  me.  I  may  not 
stroll  about  the  place  but  he  is  at  my  side,  watch- 
ing my  every  movement.  I  will  not  submit  to  it, 
and  so  I  warn  you." 

"I  regret  that  Krumm  annoys  you,"  Judith 
said  coldly.  "Moeye  Beletje  and  your  son  have 

253 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

both  made  friends  with  him,  as  I  urged  you  to  do. 
However,  for  the  short  time  you  will  still  be  here, 
I  shall  see  that  he  is  chained  during  the  hours  you 
select  for  your  strolls." 

This  was  a  concession  she  was  loth  to  make, 
and  it  was  only  wrung  from  her  because  she  had 
been  frightened  by  Krumm's  fury  and  feared  he 
might  harm  De  Heem,  yet  the  man  was  not  at  all 
pacified  by  it. 

"What  mean  you  by  the  'short  time'  we  shall 
still  be  here?"  he  demanded.  "Here  we  will  be 
till  you  and  Carolus  are  wed.  Both  you  and  he 
may  as  well  rid  your  thoughts  of  silly  fancies  and 
make  up  your  minds  to  that.  Full  well  you  know 
that  all  your  father's  outstanding  accounts  have 
been  settled  and  that  you  cannot  pay  me,  else 
you  would  have  done  so  ere  this.  So  there  's 
naught  for  it  but  to  marry  Carolus  to  you,  and 
see  that  he  sets  aside  the  remainder  due  out  of 
your  income." 

"Do  you  think  to  marry  me  to  Carolus  and  to 
enslave  me  too?"  Judith  looked  at  the  man  with 
something  very  close  to  loathing.  "Thank  God, 
I  can  pay!  I  am  sure  I  can."  She  turned  and 
followed  Nan,  who  was  already  making  off 
around  the  house  with  Krumm. 

254 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


THAT  night  the  weather  changed  as  Metje 
had  predicted.  There  was  no  storm,  but 
the  wind  was  wet  and  sighing  and  the  moon  was 
obscured  by  clouds. 

The  party  in  the  voorhuis  separated  after  sup- 
per was  cleared  away — Aunt  Beletje  to  bed, 
Carolus  to  his  room  with  a  candle  to  light  his 
chess-board,  and  Metje  to  the  kitchen  fire.  Here 
de  Heem  surprised  Judith  by  saying  that  he  had 
an  appointment  to  smoke  a  pipe  with  a  friend. 
He  took  the  key  of  the  front  door  from  the  lock 
and  went  outside,  to  return  at  once. 

"I  must  ask,"  he  said,  courteously  enough, 
"that  you  tie  up  your  hound.  He  likes  me  not, 
as  you  know.  And  it  would  scarce  be  safe  for 
me  to  attempt  to  enter  at  an  unwonted  hour." 

After  the  encounter  of  the  afternoon  Judith 
was  inclined  to  agree  with  this,  and  she  accord- 

255 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

ingly  replied  that  Krumm  should  be  attended  to. 
The  dog  lay  before  the  kitchen  fire,  keeping  Metje 
company,  and  she  gave  her  woman  instructions 
to  chain  him  to  his  house  before  she  too  retired; 
then,  feeling  that  the  day  had  been  a  very  long 
one,  the  girl  climbed  the  stairs  to  bed  and  was 
soon  deep  in  sleep. 

From  this  heavy  slumber  she  was  roused,  it 
seemed  to  her  dulled  senses,  by  a  scream.  She 
sat  up  in  her  bed,  listening  intently. 

"Metje,"  she  said,  "Metje,  what's  o'clock? 
I  was  dreaming.  I  thought  I  heard  Nan  call." 

There  was  no  answer  from  Metje,  who  was 
ever  hard  to  waken ;  and  Judith  lay  down  again, 
soon  drifting  off  into  a  light  sleep.  From  this 
she  was  aroused  in  good  earnest  by  Krumm's  deep 
bark,  the  noise  of  flying  feet,  a  fall,  and  growls, 
all  added  to  the  sound  of  a  more  distant  conflict 
in  the  garden. 

On  the  instant  she  was  broad  awake.  The 
tulip,  her  precious  tulip!  Why  had  she  not 
heeded  Blandina's  warning  that  it  might  be  in 
danger  ? 

"Metje!"  she  cried  despairingly,  and  pushed 
back  her  bed-curtains  to  look  for  her  woman ;  but 

256 


THE  DRAGON  DISAPPEARS 

Metje  was  not  at  her  side.  The  trundle-bed  had 
been  pulled  out  before  Judith  had  blown  out  her 
candle,  yet  her  eyes,  accustomed  to  the  dark, 
showed  her  now  that  it  was  empty. 

Assured  of  this,  the  girl  jumped  out  of  her 
own  bed,  thrust  her  feet  into  pant  off  eh,  and  hud- 
dled on  a  gown.  Then  she  ran  downstairs.  A 
flaring  light  in  the  kitchen  drew  her  that  way, 
to  find  the  room  empty  and  the  door  swinging 
wide.  Not  knowing  what  to  do,  she  hesitated 
on  the  threshold  when  Robin,  Metje,  and  Carolus 
came  in  upon  her,  talking  volubly. 

"You  'd  beaten  him  off,  sir,  or  ever  I  was  over 
the  wall,"  mourned  Robin.  "Indeed  I  have  no 
luck  at  all  nowadays." 

"I  heard  some  one  sneaking  past  under  my 
window,"  Carolus  explained.  "I  ran  downstairs 
in  my  bare  feet,  not  to  alarm  the  ladies;  but  the 
front  door  was  locked  and  no  key  in  it.  I  had  to 
open  a  window  to  get  out.  That  gave  the  varlet 
warning,  and  he  ran.  I  only  caught  him  at  the 
gate,  to  find  he  was  empty-handed.  But  where 
was  Krumm  to  allow  such  a  visitor  to  pass  ?" 

"Krumm  was  chained,"  said  Metje,  "but  his 
tongue  was  free.  I  '11  loose  him." 

257 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"Nay,"  Judith  affirmed,  "he  was  loose.  He 
growled  under  my  window.  What  I  want  to 
know  is,  is  the  tulip  safe?" 

Robin  and  Metje  exchanged  glances,  she  ques- 
tioning, he  denying. 

"  'T  is  sure  to  be  safe,  missy,"  he  told  her. 
"The  young  master  here  was  too  quick  for  the 
thief." 

"I  '11  not  be  able  to  believe  it  till  I  see  it." 
Judith  spoke  nervously.  "Take  a  brand  from 
the  fire  and  light  a  lanthorn.  I  '11  have  a  look  at 
the  beds.  Perchance  they  were  trampled  under 
foot  in  your  fracas." 

"Fear  not,"  Carolus  tried  to  reassure  her,  "the 
man  was  stooping  there  or  thereabouts  when  I 
dropped  from  the  window,  but  he  ran  and  I  met 
him  in  the  path.  Why  was  the  front  door  locked 
and  Krumm  chained?" 

"Surely  you  knew  that  your  father  was 
abroad?"  said  Judith  in  surprise.  "He  hath  the 
key  and  asked  that  I  tie  Krumm  up." 

"My  father  out,  you  say?"  Carolus  spoke  as 
one  almost  stunned  by  the  news.  "Nay,  I  knew 
it  not." 

258 


THE  DRAGON  DISAPPEARS 

By  this  time  Robin  had  lit  a  lanthorn,  and  they 
all  set  out  together  across  the  grass,  where  Judith 
halted  them. 

"Krumm  ?"  she  said  inquiringly.  "You  chained 
him,  Metje?  Then  where  is  he  that  he  doth  not 
give  tongue  at  our  light  moving  in  the  grounds. 
I  must  look  into  this."  She  turned  and  walked 
towards  the  dog's  kennel,  where  a  broken  chain 
was  all  she  found. 

"I  knew  it!"  she  exclaimed.  "He  is  beneath 
my  window.  I  heard  him  there  as  I  dressed ;  but 
when  you  said  that  he  was  chained  I  thought 
that  I  had  befooled  myself." 

She  began  to  run  and  the  others  after  her  and, 
sure  enough,  on  the  sward  below  her  window 
they  made  out  the  dog,  crouched  above  the  form 
of  a  man. 

Judith  was  the  first  by  his  side  and,  slipping 
her  hand  within  the  hound's  collar  twisted  the 
broken  chain  around  her  other  hand,  expecting 
to  have  difficulty  in  forcing  him  from  his  prey; 
but  he  obeyed  her  instantly,  rising  deliberately 
just  as  Robin's  lanthorn  lit  up  the  face  and  pros- 
trate form  of  Here  de  Heem. 

259 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"How  did  this  come  about?"  Carolus  asked 
in  a  strained  tone,  as  he  helped  his  father  to  his 
feet.  "I  see  you  are  unhurt." 

"This  dangerous  brute  attacked  me  as  I  said 
he  would  and  bore  me  to  the  ground,"  Here  de 
Heem  snarled. 

"Did  you  come  in  by  the  back,  then?"  Judith 
inquired. 

"I  did  not,"  said  De  Heem.  "I  found  your 
front  gate  flung  wide." 

"Then  you  passed  the  stoep  by  chance  in  the  bad 
light?"  the  girl  demanded,  trying  to  banish  sus- 
picion from  her  voice. 

"If  you  will  let  me  tell  my  tale  you  will  soon 
know  why  I  'm  here,"  De  Heem  said,  "though, 
having  left  that  wild  beast  at  large  to  spite  me, 
you  little  deserve  my  care  for  your  property. 
The  gate  being  open,  I  feared  that  pigs  or  goats 
might  have  come  in,  and  I  was  taking  a  look 
about  to  make  sure  all  was  safe  when  this  creature 
came  at  me  and  overthrew  me." 

"Then  you  saw  naught  of  the  man  near  the 
tulip-beds?"  Carolus  asked  sharply. 

"Was  there  a  man  ?"  his  father  inquired.  "No, 
I  saw  no  one ;  only  the  ground  over  that  way  felt 

260 


THE  DRAGON  DISAPPEARS 

underfoot   as    if  the   hogs   had    rooted   there." 

"Come  quickly,  Robin,"  cried  Judith.  "I  must 
make  sure  all  is  as  it  should  be  ere  I  can  sleep." 

She  seized  the  lanthorn  and,  followed  by 
Metje  and  Robin,  ran  across  the  grass  to  the  tulip- 
bed. 

One  glance  was  enough.  The  precious  tulips 
were  gone. 

For  a  moment  Judith  stood  as  if  stunned; 
then  she  walked  into  the  house  and  up  the  stairs 
to  her  room  without  a  word. 

Behind  her  the  De  Heems  faced  each  other 
in  anger. 

"Is  this  your  work?"  Carolus  demanded. 

"Very  well  done,  sir,"  De  Heem  replied.  "I 
congratulate  you;  but  you  cannot  impose  upon 
me.  It  is  not  my  work  for  one  most  exceeding 
good  reason.  'T  is  the  early  bird  who  gets  the 
worm,  and  you  were  before  me,  sir." 

He  swung  on  his  heel,  stalked  to  the  stoep, 
unlocked  the  front  door,  and  shut  and  locked 
it  behind  him,  leaving  Carolus  on  the  out- 
side. 

Carolus  watched  this  proceeding  with  entire 
indifference;  then  went  back  to  the  kitchen  to 

261 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

confer  with  Robin,  who  meanwhile  was  standing 
where  Judith  had  left  him,  deep  in  converse  with 
Metje. 

"I  thought  you  signed  to  me  that  you  had  it 
not,"  she  had  whispered  to  him  as  Judith  entered 
the  house. 

"In  faith,  so  I  did,"  Robin  answered.  "I  had 
just  climbed  the  wall  when  the  young  gentleman 
dropped  from  the  window." 

"Rob,  Rob !"  exclaimed  Metje,  "is  it  sooth  you 
are  saying,  or  can  it  be  that  you  have  backslid 
again  ?" 

"As  well  might  I  charge  you  with  the  rob- 
bery," cried  Robin  indignantly.  "Nay,  Metje, 
an  you  trust  me  so  little,  there  is  naught  I  can  say 
will  convince  you;  but  I  am  an  honest  pirate  for 
all  you  misdoubt  me."  He  was  turning  away 
without  another  word  when  his  foot  struck  some- 
thing in  the  grass  and  he  picked  it  up.  "What 's 
this?"  he  asked. 

"  'T  is  too  dark  to  see,"  Metje  answered. 
"Come  to  the  kitchen.  When  I  look  in  your  eyes 
I  will  know  if  I  can  trust  you  or  no." 

"If  you  know  not  that  already  't  is  no  fault  of 
262 


THE  DRAGON  DISAPPEARS 

mine,"  Robin  grumbled,  but  he  followed  her  to  the 
house  for  all  that. 

Carolus  met  them  ere  they  reached  the  door. 

"We  must  recover  this  flower,"  he  began  ab- 
ruptly, when  his  eye  chanced  on  the  thing  Robin 
carried  in  his  hand  and  straightway  he  forgot 
all  else. 

"Where  found  you  that?"  he  demanded,  taking 
it  to  the  light  to  examine  it.  "Hath  Lady  Bello- 
mont  perchance  a  tiny  foot  ?" 

"Nay,  she 's  a  buxom  wench,"  Metje  said 
simply. 

"Then  what  do  you  make  of  that?"  Carolus 
asked,  motioning  her  to  look  at  what  he  held 
close  under  the  light.  "  'T  is  much  too  small  for 
Judith — for  the  Juffrouw  Van  Taarl," 

Metje  took  the  little  slipper  in  her  broad  hands 
and  looked  it  up  and  down. 

"This  is  no  mystery,"  she  said,  with  a  smile 
at  men's  stupidity.  "  'T  is  the  child's  slipper. 
Well  I  know  those  buckles.  T  is  Nan's." 

But  at  her  words  the  others  stared  at  her  and 
it  seemed  as  if  their  faces  whitened  in  the  flicker- 
ing light. 

263 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"The  little  lady's?"  cried  Robin.  "Art  sure, 
lass?" 

"Little  Nan's,"  said  Carolus.  "No  mystery, 
say  you?"  and  together,  as  with  one  voice,  he  and 
Robin  whispered,  "How  came  it  here?" 


264 


CHAPTER  XIX 

IN  WHICH  A  NIGHT  SEES  SEVERAL  VISITORS 

METJE  had  grown  so  used  to  watching  Nan 
about  the  place  at  work  or  play  that  to 
find  an  article  of  her  wear  at  hand  had  seemed 
natural  enough.  However  it  needed  but  the 
men's  words  to  jar  her  out  of  her  complacency. 
Her  eyes  widened  and  Robin  clapped  his  hand 
across  her  mouth  to  still  a  possible  shriek. 

"Steady,  lass!  Steady!"  he  said.  "If  things 
be  as  I  think  and  fear,  we  '11  have  need  of  all  our 
wits  this  night." 

Then  turning  to  Carolus  he  addressed  him 
straightforwardly. 

"Sir,"  he  said,  "I  take  you  to  be  a  true  man. 
Do  we  follow  this  affair  side  by  side  wherever 
it  may  lead?" 

For  all  answer  Carolus  held  out  his  hand  and 
Robin  gripped  it. 

"Now,  without  offense,"  he  asked,  "dost  see 
265 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

the  work  of  the  Here  de  Heem  in  this  matter?" 
"I  have  asked  myself  that,"  Carolus  replied 
honestly,  "but  I  cannot  charge  him  with  it.  I 
think,  mayhap,  he  hath  the  tulip  hidden  some- 
where, and  may  not  have  been  averse  to  having 
another  discovered  at  the  bed,  in  order  that  sus- 
picion should  be  drawn  away  from  his  own  guilt ; 
but  the  child,  no!  I  don't  think  he  has  touched 
her.  What  motive  could  he  have?" 

"If  she  had  caught  him  in  the  act — "  Robin 
began.  "But  no,  I  am  with  you  in  this  case.  I 
scarce  think  he  would  harm  the  child." 

Judith  had  gone  to  her  room  stunned  by  Her 
loss ;  but  it  was  not  long  before  she  began  to  re- 
cover sufficiently  to  cast  about  in  her  mind  angrily 
for  the  author  of  the  theft.  She  had  to  acknowl- 
edge that  it  might  be  Lady  Bellomont;  but  the 
weight  of  her  suspicion  pointed  to  the  Here  de 
Heem  and,  that  thought  growing  into  a  certainty 
in  her  mind,  the  next  step  was  a  longing  to  cir- 
cumvent him.  He  had  the  plant,  but  she  had  the 
picture,  duly  attested  on  the  back  (for  her  father 
had  seen  to  that),  and  there  might  be  a  way  to 
make  it  of  use  to  prove  her  property  if  an  attempt 
was  made  to  sell  the  bulbs.  She  had  the  picture, 

266 


A  NIGHT  SEES  SEVERAL  VISITORS 

she  told  herself — but  had  she?  She  had  left  it 
without  even  the  precaution  of  a  lock,  in  a  drawer 
of  the  desk  in  the  office,  and  it  was  on  that  side  of 
the  house  that  Krumm  had  attacked  De  Heem. 
Had  the  dog  had  reason  for  this  attack? 

Blaming  herself  for  her  careless  folly  she  lit 
a  candle  and  again  descended  the  stair.  The 
moment  she  unlocked  the  office  door  she  saw  that 
the  window  had  been  opened.  True,  it  was 
barred,  but  it  was  now  an  easy  matter  for  one 
standing  outside  to  insert  an  arm  and  open  the 
desk  drawers.  Her  heart  sank  like  lead,  for  one 
of  the  top  drawers  stood  ajar. 

To  be  sure  there  was  naught  there  of  value. 
She  held  aloft  her  candle  and  looked  within. 
There  were  some  wafers,  the  mother-of-pearl  fish 
Dacosta  had  given  her ;  but  she  wasted  little  time 
over  these  things.  It  was  the  lower  drawer  she 
was  interested  in,  and  she  pulled  it  out  hastily. 
There  lay  the  picture  undisturbed.  She  snatched 
it  up  at  once,  running  with  it  to  her  father's 
money-box,  where  she  locked  it  away  with  fingers 
that  trembled.  Then  she  went  back  to  the  desk 
and  stood  there  for  a  moment.  It  seemed  to  her 
that  she  could  see  De  Heem  interrupted  by  the  dog 

267 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

in  his  attempt  to  find  the  picture.  Again  she 
idly  pulled  out  the  drawers,  telling  herself  that 
the  picture  was  assuredly  the  object  of  whoever 
had  opened  the  window,  for  naught  else  was 
gone.  Yet  of  a  sudden  she  missed  something, 
for  had  she  not  put  Dacosta's  seal  there  with  the 
fish,  thinking  to  examine  it  at  her  leisure? 

"I  wish  the  thief  joy  of  it,"  she  said,  with  a 
shrug.  "Perchance  he  can  interpret  it." 

Dacosta  had  not  answered  her  note  about  the 
tulip,  'but  she  had  not  sent  the  fish  with  it.  She 
picked  it  up  now  and  weighed  it  in  her  hand ;  then, 
putting  it  back,  was  about  to  return  upstairs 
when  she  made  out  the  various  voices  in  the  kit- 
chen. She  still  was  minded  to  go  to  her  room 
again  until  she  caught  the  words,  "Our  first  need 
is  to  know  the  truth  about  the  child." 

"The  child!  Nan!"  she  was  already  in  the 
kitchen  as  she  spoke.  "What 's  wrong  with 
her?"  She  looked  from  one  to  another  appeal- 
ingly.  "Can't  you  speak?"  she  cried. 

:  'T  is  just  that  we  found  her  shoe  out  near 
the  posies,"  Robin  said.  "  'T  is  a  puzzle  to  ac- 
count for  its  being  there." 

268 


A  NIGHT  SEES  SEVERAL  VISITORS 

"  'T  is  no  puzzle  to  me,"  Judith  declared 
in  a  tone  of  relief,  after  a  moment's  thought. 
"Heaven  send  she  's  lifted  them  carefully." 

"What  is  in  your  mind?"  Carolus  asked. 

"Nan  has  an  unflattering  opinion  of  Lady 
Bellomont,"  Judith  told  him,  "and  to-day  she 
learned  how  greatly  I  counted  on  the  sale  of  my 
dragon  tulips.  I  doubt  not  that  she  and  Nurse 
Kate  have  come  by  stealth  and  taken  them  to 
Mistress  Homan's  for  safe-keeping." 

They  all  considered  this  idea  for  a  moment. 

"It  would  explain  why  Krumm  never  gaye 
tongue,"  said  Metje  thoughtfully. 

"Kate  likes  not  the  dark,"  Robin  contributed, 
"but,  an  the  little  lady  commandeth,  she  must  be 
obeyed." 

"No,  no,  no!"  cried  Carolus  impatiently. 
"Nan  would  not  go  from  here  without  her  shoe 
of  her  own  will." 

"The  pebbles  of  the  road  are  hard,"  said  Metje, 
and  of  a  sudden  took  to  weeping  at  the  thought 
of  Nan's  soft  little  foot. 

"Come,  Robin,"  Judith  pulled  his  sleeve, 
"We  '11  to  Mistress  Homan's  at  once.  'T  is  bet- 

269 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

ter  to  arouse  the  house  on  a  fool's  errand  than 
to  waste  precious  time  in  case  our  worst  fears 
are  justified." 

"That  is  my  thought,"  Carolus  agreed,  "but 
it  may  rain  at  any  minute.  There  is  no  need  for 
you  to  go,  when  Robin  and  I  are  here  to  do  your 
bidding." 

"I  could  not  stay  at  home."  Judith  dismissed 
all  protests,  but  agreed  to  let  Metje  fit  her  out 
against  the  weather. 

"And  you,  sir?"  'Robin  suggested,  looking 
down  at  his  companion's  bare  feet.  "And  have 
you  any  weapons?  If  not,  I  can  supply  you." 

"I  have  my  own  harness  and  equipment," 
Carolus  replied.  "Thank  you.  A  man  works 
best  with  his  own  tools." 

Robin  said  no  more,  but  while  the  younger 
De  Heem  went  to  get  his  gear  he  smiled,  well 
satisfied.  He  had  not  mistaken  his  man. 

The  little  party  was  soon  on  the  road  and  met 
not  so  much  as  the  watch  ere  they  reached  the 
house  in  the  Waal  Straat,  where  Robin  rapped 
smartly. 

In  a  minute  an  upper  window  was  thrown  wide 
and  a  head  was  thrust  forth. 

270 


A  NIGHT  SEES  SEVERAL  VISITORS 

"Get  ye  gone  from  here,  ye  wastrels,"  Nurse 
Kate  said  in  a  trembling1  voice,  "ere  I  spring  a 
rattle  for  the  watch!"  Then,  espying  her 
brother's  burly  form,  she  lost  all  fear  and  became 
angry.  "How  now  ?"  she  cried.  "Art  so  lost  to 
shame  that  thou  bringest  thy  boon  companions 
here  to  wake  honest  folk  from  their  sweet  sleep  ? 
Hast  no  respect  for  my  mistress  that  the  whole 
house  trembles  with  thy  knockings?  I  bid  thee 
begone  ere  I  empty  the  water  jug  on  thy  head." 

"And  I  bid  thee  be  silent,"  Robin  began,  but 
Judith  stopped  him.  The  clouds  had  parted  and  a 
watery  ray  of  moonlight  shone  down  upon  her 
as  she  threw  back  her  hood  and  called. 

"  'T  is  I,  nurse.  The  JufTrouw  Van  Taarl. 
I  Ve  come  to  ask  but  one  question.  Where  is 
Nan?" 

"Where  she  should  be,  the  sweet  lamb,"  Kate 
replied,  much  surprised  to  find  such  a  visitor 
at  so  untimely  an  hour.  "In  her  innocent 

bed." 

» 

"Art  sure  of  that?"  Judith  asked,  instant  relief 
in  her  voice. 

"Sure  am  I  that  I  tucked  her  up  hours  agone," 
the  woman  replied  a  trifle  tartly.  "Think  you, 

271 


mistress,  that  I  am  not  to  be  trusted  in  her 
mother's  absence?" 

"Then  her  mother  is  away?"  Judith  inquired 
quickly,  and  Robin,  speaking  aside  to  Carolus, 
said,  "Thank  fortune  for  that !" 

"Aye,  she  and  the  master  are  off  again  to  visit 
friends  in  the  Jerseys,"  Nurse  Kate  said,  "and  if 
it  be  that  she  wants  an  eye  on  me  while  she  's 
junketing,  I  '11  ope  the  door  and  ye  shall  see  for 
yourself." 

"We  can  see  the  old  fool  thou  art  from  here," 
Robin  told  her  brotherlywise.  "Go  thou  in  to 
the  little  mistress's  room.  An  she  's  asleep  there, 
come  and  tell  us  so  with  a  chastened  tongue,  and 
we  '11  be  off  to  our  own  beds  in  great  content- 
ment." 

Grumbling  to  herself  his  sister  left  the  window, 
and  they  waited  in  silence  for  her  report.  A  loud 
scream  told  them  what  to  expect,  and  a  moment 
later  they  heard  the  woman  come  stumbling 
down  the  stairs  to  let  them  in. 

"She's  gone!"  she  gasped.  "And  the  clothes 
I  'd  laid  out  for  morning  with  her.  How  knew 
you  this,  Rob  Marrow  ?  I  '11  have  none  of  your 

272 


A  NIGHT  SEES  SEVERAL  VISITORS 

backslidings  where  the  little  mistress  is  con- 
cerned." 

"I  told  you  you  were  a  fool,"  Robin  retorted 
angrily.  "Every  hair  on  her  head  I  love,  and 
I  '11  have  her  back  though  I  swing  for  it." 

"But  how  to  set  to  work?"  Carolus  spoke 
slowly  and  deliberately  to  give  all  a  chance  to 
come  to  themselves.  "That  is  the  question.  We 
must  make  no  missteps."  Then,  turning  to  Nurse 
Kate,  he  asked,  "Have  you  any  idea  what  has 
happened  to  your  little  mistress  ?" 

The  woman  was  in  tears  by  now. 

"There  are  none  in  this  part  of  the  house  save 
us  two,"  she  sobbed.  "The  maids  I  lock  in  the 
loft,  so  that  they  shall  not  go  junketing  while  my 
mistress  is  away.  I  sleep  on  a  pallet  in  her  room 
to  guard  her  possessions,  and  the  child's  bed  is 
in  the  chamber  adjoining.  I  sleep  so  lightly  I 
can  hear  a  bat  flit  by  outside.  I  know  not  how 
the  little  lady  ever  passed  the  stairs  without 
disturbing  me." 

"Then  you  judge  there  was  no  struggle?" 

"She  went  of  her  own  will,  I  am  assured. 
For  one  thing,  she  stopped  to  take  her  cloak  from 

273 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

its  hook  here  by  the  stair.  For  another,  this 
door,  which  I  had  locked  and  chained  myself,  was 
open  to  the  world.  You  could  have  entered  had 
you  been  so  minded." 

"  'T  is  my  belief  that  she  went  to  save  my 
tulips/'  Judith  said.  'Think  you  she  was  taken 
right  there  in  my  own  garden?  Nay,  then,  how 
shall  I  forgive  Krumm  that  he  gave  us  mo 
warning?" 

"She  had  bade  him  be  silent,  most  like,"  the 
nurse  whimpered.  "She  was  masterful  all  her 
life,  and  I  ne'er  saw  anything  to  match  the  way 
that  beast  obeyed  her  lightest  word." 

"There 's  little  sense  in  wasting  time  here," 
said  Carolus  impatiently.  "Since  it  is  plain  that 
Nurse  Kate  knows  naught  that  will  be  of  service 
to  us,  we  must  be  about  our  business;  but  first 
we  will  leave  you  at  home,"  he  added  to  Judith. 

"I  Ve  no  fear  of  the  dark,"  the  girl  told  him 
quickly.  "I  would  that  I  could  go  with  you; 
but  I  can  see  I  might  hamper  you." 

"It  lies  on  our  way  to  leave  you  at  the  gate," 
Carolus  reminded  her;  -and  they  moved  off  to- 
gether, promising  Kate  instant  news  oi  any  de- 
velopment. 

274 


A  NIGHT  SEES  SEVERAL  VISITORS 

"What  think  you  should  be  our  first  step?" 
Robin  asked  in  puzzlement.  "We  must  make 
a  plan;  but  I  'm  not  so  good  at  that  as  at  the 
doing." 

"Do  you  know  any  men,  soldiers  or  serv- 
ants, employed  about  the  fort?"  Carolus  in- 
quired. 

•"I  know  well  one  lad.  A  prentice  on  a  ship  I 
sailed  on  once,  who,  beside  being  a  runner,  is  in 
her  ladyship's  private  employ;  but  naught  would 
tempt  an  honest  lad  like  that  to  lift  his  hand 
against  a  child,"  Robin  averred. 

They  had  almost  reached  the  Van  Taarl  gate- 
way when  they  saw  a  dark  figure  slip  out  of  it 
and  make  off  at  a  good  pace  down  the  street. 
Leaving  Judith  to  her  own  devices  the  two  men 
started  in  pursuit  and  were  rapidly  overhauling 
their  quarry  when  he  turned  a  corner  to  run  into 
the  arms  of  the  watch. 

Carolus  and  Robin  crashed  into  the  group  be- 
fore they  could  stop  themselves,  and  whether 
Tom  Lane  or  they  were  the  more  surprised  it 
would  be  hard  to  say.  Carolus,  however,  was 
the  first  to  find  his  tongue. 

"We  ran  after  you,  Master  Lane,"  he  said 

275 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

pleasantly,  "and  I  fear  gave  you  some  reason  for 
alarm.  Did  you  take  us  for  foot-pads?'' 

"I  knew  not  who  was  coming  floundering  after 
me,"  Tom  returned  a  trifle  sullenly,  "so,  being 
unarmed,  I  sought  safety  in  flight."  He  eyed  the 
weapons  carried  by  Carolus  and  Robin  with  a 
certain  questioning. 

"There  is  a  matter  we  wish  to  talk  to  you 
about,"  Carolus  resumed,  ignoring  Tom's  ill 
humor,  "but  I  see  no  reason  for  stopping  the 
watch  on  its  rounds."  He  opened  his  purse  and 
a  coin  changed  hands.  "  'T  is  like  to  be  wet  and 
chill  ere  morning.  That  's  to  drink  our  healths 
when  duty  permits." 

"Thank  you,  young  sir,"  the  man  mum- 
bled, "but  I  know  you  not  nor  whose  health  to 
drink." 

"I  'm  Carolus  de  Heem,  lately  from  Holland, 
visiting  my  cousin,  the  Juffrouw  Van  Taarl," 
Carolus  told  him  readily.  "And  this  is  her  man, 
Simon  Gobbet." 

This  seemed  to  satisfy  the  watchman,  who 
went  on  his  way,  the  light  of  his  lanthorn  shining 
here  and  there  and  the  tapping  of  his  iron-shod 
•staff  plainly  audible,  till  a  pause  was  made  at  a 

276 


corner  to  cry,  "Two  o'clock  of  a  cloudy  morn- 
ing, and  all 's  well !" 

These  words  seemed  to  release  the  tongues  of 
those  who  had  remained  behind  in  silence,  and 
Tom  spoke  sulkily  to  Carolus. 

"If  't  is  in  your  mind  that  I  had  aught  to  do 
with  the  disappearance  of  the  tulips,  take  me  to 
Mistress  Van  Taarl.  I  will  explain  to  her." 

"How  knew  you  that  the  tulips  were  gone, 
lad?"  Robin  asked  curiously.  "Hast  come  from 
the  house  at  this  hour?" 

"I  will  answer  no  questions  save  to  Mistress 
van  Taarl,"  Tom  returned  stubbornly. 

"I  cannot  think  that  very  friendly,"  Carolus 
said.  "Moreover,  you  are  too  quick  to  fancy 
yourself  suspect.  The  tulips  were  gone  hours 
since." 

"They  were  ?"  cried  Tom.  "But,  if  you  did  n't 
think  I  had  them,  why  did  you  chase  me  ?" 

"We  knew  not  't  was  you,  or  we  might  have 
saved  our  legs  by  calling  on  you  to  stop,"  Carolus 
explained.  "We  saw  you  run  from  the  gate  and 
thought  you  a  marauder;  for  you  will  own  't  is 
scarce  the  usual  hour  to  visit  a  lady." 

"Nay,  then,"  Robin  -chuckled,  "full  irfany  a  call 
277 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

have  I  and  my  jew's-harp  paid  'neath  ladies'  win- 
dows; the  later  the  better,  say  I.  But  we  waste 
time  here,  master."  He  gave  a  twitch  to  Car- 
olus's  sleeve  as  a  further  reminder  of  the  business 
that  was  toward. 

"I  'm  coming,"  Carolus  replied,  "yet  't  is  in 
my  mind  to  ask  Master  Lane  if  he  knows  aught 
of  the  disappearance  of  Nan  Homan." 

For  just  a  space  there  was  utter  silence.  The 
three  stood  close  together,  straining  their  eyes 
through  the  dark  to  make  out,  if  possible,  each 
other's  features.  When  Tom  replied  he  spoke 
stammeringly. 

"What?  What's  that,  you  say.  Little  Nan 
gone!  Where  has  she  gone?  Who  would  harm 
the  child?" 

"Ods-blood,  master!"  Robin  cried  impatiently, 
"Why  ask  such  windy  questions?  The  child  is 
not  at  home  and  has  been  here.  We  go  to  seek 
news  of  her." 

"And  I  will  go  with  you!"  Tom  cried  eagerly. 

"No!"  Carolus  spoke  sharply.  "We  want  not 
your  company." 

"If  't  is  Lady  Bellomont  who  hath  seized  her, 
I  can  le*ad  you  to  the  dast-house  where  I  was  held 

278 


A  NIGHT  SEES  SEVERAL  VISITORS 

for  a  space  by  her  runners,"  Tom  pleaded.  "I 
am  trained  in  arms.  I  might  be  of  service  in  a 
cris-is." 

"You  might  and  you  might  not,"  Carolus  an- 
swered. 'T  is  in  my  mind  that  Robin  and  I  are 
enough  for  the  game  we  have  toward." 

"Then  I  '11  go  alone,"  cried  Tom  angrily. 

"Spoken  like  a  young  fool,"  .Carolus  said  coldly. 
"You  are  unarmed,  yet  you  talk  of  pushing  into 
a  matter  that  may  need  seasoned  fighting  men." 

"Such  as  you  are,"  Tom  interrupted.  "Win- 
ner of  a  thousand  battles  on  a  chess-board! 
What  right  have  you  to  refuse  my  help?" 

"The  right  of  any  leader  to  use  only  the  weap- 
ons that  fit  his  hand,"  Carolus  replied.  "If  I 
fail,  it  may  be  your  turn  to  try.  That  is,  if  you 
can  muster  any  influence  among  the  English  to 
bring  your  proud  Bellomonts  to  reason." 

With  which  words  Robin  and  he  made  off  into 
the  night,  leaving  Tom  standing  where  they  had 
met  him. 

At  home,  meanwhile,  Judith  and  Metje  had 
stirred  the  embers  of  the  kitchen  fire  and  sat  be- 
fore it,  having  given  up  all  thought  of  going  to 
bed.  They  had  brought  Krumm  in  for  company 

279 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

and  were  busily  going  over  and  over  all  they 
knew  of  the  disappearance  of  both  the  tulips  and 
Nan,  when  the  dog  leaped  to  his  feet,  the  hairs 
on  his  back  erect  and  his  teeth  bared. 

The  women  also  jumped  up  and  drew  together, 
but,  hearing  nothing,  would  have  seated  them- 
selves again,  had  not  Krumm  refused  to  be  paci- 
fied. It  was  plainly  his  desire  to  be  let  out,  but 
this  Judith  would  not  allow. 

"He  is  the  only  protector  we  have  left,"  she 
said,  "for  I  do  not  count  upon  my  aunt's  husband ; 
but  Krumm  can  account  for  one  man  at  least  and 
I  shall  keep  him  by  me/' 

They  waited  expectantly  for  some  time  but, 
as  nothing  happened,  Metje  put  on  another  log, 
naming  it  as  the  last  they  had  within  doors ;  and 
they  settled  to  wait  for  news  or  daylight,  they 
knew  not  which  to  expect  first.  Krumm,  too, 
again  relaxed  his  vigilance  and  stretched  his  great 
frame  in  front  of  the  fire.  Thus  five  minutes 
wore  away. 

"How  slowly  the  sand  seems  to  run  when  one 
is  anxious."  Judith  sighed  at  last,  tapping  the 
glass  with  her  fingernail  as  if  to  hasten  it. 

280 


A  NIGHT  SEES  SEVERAL  VISITORS 

"It  seems  half  a  lifetime  since  this  afternoon. 
I  wish  something  would  happen." 

As  if  in  answer  to  her  words,  a  noise,  not  loud 
but  sharp,  like  to  that  she  had  made  when  she 
tapped  the  hour-glass,  brought  Krumm  upstand- 
ing. Judith  and  Metje  turned  with  one  accord 
toward  the  window  whence  the  sound  came. 
The  panes  were  small  and  none  too  clear,  but 
close  to  them  was  a  face  peering  in,  and  as  they 
looked  the  man  scratched  again  with  -his  fore- 
finger. 


281 


CHAPTER  XX 

IN  WHICH   METJE  MAKES  A  CAPTIVE 

TP\O  you  know  this  fellow,  meisje?"  Metje 
JL /  asked  her  mistress  in  a  low  tone.  "Shall 
I  admit  him?" 

"I  know  him  not,"  Judith  answered,  "nor  can 
I  think  of  any  honest  errand  to  bring  a  man  here 
at  this  hour — unless,"  her  face  brightened  at  the 
thought,  "he  brings  us  a  message." 

"To  be  sure!"  cried  Metje,  ready  at  once  to 
accept  this  suggestion.  "We  '11  let  him  in." 

"Stay,"  said  Judith,  some  caution  lingering, 
"suppose  there  are  more  men  than  the  one  and  we 
are  overpowered?" 

This  suggestion  was  given  serious  considera- 
tion then  Metje  spoke  as  the  man  tapped  once 
more  impatiently. 

"We  must  have  words  with  the  varlet,"  she 
declared,  "so  do  you  open  the  door  and  slam  it 
shut  behind  him.  I  '11  stand  by,  armed  with  the 

282 


poker  and  with  my  other  hand  tight  in  Krumm's 
collar.  Should  more  than  one  try  to  enter  I  '11 
loose  Krumm  and  crack  this  man's  skull  with  the 
poker,  as  't  were  a  burnt-out  log." 

This  strategy  was  adopted  but  the  young  man 
who  entered  on  Metje's  opening  the  door  a  chink 
was  alone  and  seemed  a  little  shy  about  accepting 
the  invitation  to  step  within.  He  cast  quick 
glances  to  the  right  and  left  and  gasped  a 
little,  as  does  a  fish  out  of  water,  ere  he 
spoke. 

"Is  it  here  that  Rob  Marrow  toileth?"  he  asked, 
his  first  question  offering  a  puzzle  for  solution. 
Should  they  say  "no,"  he  would  doubtless  remove 
himself,  and  his  message  if  he  bore  one  would 
never  be  delivered.  Should  "yes"  be  their  answer 
they  ran  the  risk  of  betraying  Robin. 

"Have  you  word  for  me?"  Judith  inquired, 
trying  to  keep  her  eyes  from  Metje's  face. 

"I  Ve  no  time  to  bandy  words,"  the  man  said 
curtly.  "I  may  be  missed.  Canst  not  answer  a 
straight  question?" 

"Rob  Marrow  did  work  here  in  days  past," 
Judith  replied,  and  the  man  interrupted  her  ea- 
gerly. 

283 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"I  must  have  speech  with  him.  At  once,  mis- 
tress. There  's  not  a  moment  to  lose." 

"He 's  not  here  now,"  Judith  assured  him. 
"If  you  choose  to  leave  your  message,  perchance 
I  may  be  able  to  get  it  to  him." 

"Nay,"  returned  the  fellow,  "I  '11  trust  it  to  no 
woman,  gentle  or  simple.  I  must  see  Rob  for  my- 
self. An  you  cannot  tell  where  he  is,  I  must  hunt 
for  him."  He  twisted  on  his  heel  and  went  out 
as  he  had  come.  Metje  followed  him  closely 
however,  throwing  back  the  word  to  Judith  that 
she  was  going  for  more  wood. 

Without  the  door  Judith  heard  the  exchange  of 
low  words.  She  waited  anxiously  for  a  time, 
and  at  last,  inaction  becoming  unbearable,  she 
opened  the  door  to  look  outside  just  at  the  mo- 
ment when  Metje  came  up  the  stoep  with  an  arm- 
ful of  wood. 

"I  settled  him,"  the  woman  cried,  panting  a 
little  with  excitement.  "As  I  suspected  when 
first  I  saw  his  evil  face,  he  had  come  to  arrest 
Robin." 

"Single-handed?"  asked  Judith  incredulously, 
"and  for  what,  pray  ?" 

"That  I  know  not,  and  there  may  be  other  vile 
284 


METJE  MAKES  A  CAPTIVE 

creatures  awaiting  his  call ;  but  he  '11  not  trouble 
us  for  the  present.  I  have  him  safe."  Metje 
wagged  her  head,  well  pleased  with  the  success  of 
her  efforts. 

"You  have  him  safe!  You?"  Judith  cried. 
"Metje  what  have  you  done  with  him?" 

"Listen  and  I  will  tell  you."  The  woman  spoke 
complacently.  It  was  evident  that  she  was  thor- 
oughly satisfied  with  herself.  "When  we  got 
outside  I  said,  'I  know  your  news.  Robin  hath 
been  informed  on.'  And  he  said,  'Think  not  to 
hide  that  he  is  here,  for  the  Jonchere  de  Heem 
hath  sent  word  of  it  to  the  authorities.'  'Then/ 
said  I,  'would  you  like  to  see  Robin  ?'  and  he  mut- 
tered, 'That  I  would,  for  't  is  my  job  to  find  him.' 
Which  being  plain  enough  to  my  understanding, 
I  showed  him  the  door  of  the  milk-room  and  said, 
'Blame  me  not  if  he  is  peevish  at  being  waked  un- 
timely/ Whereupon  the  man  put  his  hand  to  the 
latch  and  walked  in — and  I  shut  and  locked  the 
door  behind  him.  We  have  him  safe  till  we  be 
minded  to  let  him  go." 

Judith's  interest  in  Metje's  exploit  was  for 
the  moment  overshadowed  by  her  astonishment 
at  one  item  of  the  news. 

285 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"Who,  said  you,  informed  on  Robin?"  she 
asked,  a  tone  of  incredulity  in  her  voice. 

"Truly,"  said  Metje,  sitting  down  on  a  joint- 
stool  before  the  fire  and  fanning  herself  with  her 
apron,  "  't  is  I  should  be  surprised,  not  you,  for 
I  liked  the  lad;  but  now  I  give  in.  You  were  in 
the  right  of  it.  He  's  a  villain ;  that 's  plain.  For 
all  we  know  it  may  be  he  who  hath  seized  away 
your  tulips.  Come  to  think  on  it,  it  was  a  rare 
tale  he  told — that  he  descended  the  stair  barefoot 
not  to  wake  the  ladies.  Eh,  then  he  might  have 
well-founded  reasons  for  his  though fcfulness." 
Her  stream  of  words  flowed  on  while  Judith, 
confounded  by  such  news,  tried  hard  to  rearrange 
her  ideas  to  fit  the  new  circumstances. 

"Nay  then,  Metje,  I  cannot  make  head  nor  tale 
of  it,"  she  cried  at  last.  "\Vhat  reason  could 
Master  Carolus  have  for  doing  Robin  an  ill 
turn?" 

"If  't  were  the  tulip  he  had  in  his  mind,"  Metje 
said,  "would  he  not  wish  our  lustiest  defender 
out  of  the  way  and  would  not  Krumm  be  silent 
at  his  behest?  Rob,  indeed,  was  all  he  had  to 
fear,  and  I  doubt  not  he  expected  him  to  be  taken 
much  earlier  in  the  evening." 

286 


Again  Metje  was  afloat  on  a  sea  of  conjecture 
and  again  Judith  was  busy  trying  to  piece  the 
puzzle  together  in  her  mind.  Robin  had  given 
up  his  old  quarters  since  he  knew  runners  were 
out  after  him  and  had  occupied  a  room  over 
their  out-kitchen.  She  had  heard  him  tell  Car- 
olus  that  the  intruder  was  beaten  off  ere  he  had 
climbed  the  wall,  yet  what  need  had  he  to  climb, 
who  should  have  been  abed  long  before  the  gates 
were  locked?  Could  it  be  that  Robin  had  back- 
slid, as  Metje  said  he  ever  threatened  to  do,  and 
had  himself  taken  the  tulips?  This  idea  the  girl 
dismissed  as  soon  as  formulated.  Robin  was 
staunch,  and  he  had  told  her  he  was  not  pirate  but 
an  honest  sailor.  He  wouldn't  steal  from  her. 
Indeed,  had  he  wanted  to,  there  was  much  more 
tempting  spoil  of  silver  and  what-not  within  his 
grasp — things  that  she  might  not  sell,  under  her 
grandfather's  will,  but  which  would  bring  a 
quick  return  to  a  robber.  No,  Robin  could  be 
dismissed  from  her  mind,  so  far  as  the  tulips  were 
concerned.  There  remained  Nan,  De  Heem,  the 
stranger  Carolus  had  grappled  with,  and  Carolus 
himself.  Nan,  she  believed,  had  come  hoping  to 
save  the  tulips  from  Lady  Bellomont.  De  Heem 

287 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

the  elder  apparently  had  been  accounted  for  by 
Krumm's  attack  upon  him.  The  strange  man, 
who  Carolus  had  said  had  escaped  empty-handed, 
might  have  been  -an  emissary  of  her  ladyship 
or  he  might  have  been  an  accomplice  of  Carolus's. 
In  that  case  was  it  not  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  Carolus  would  have  declared  his  confederate 
empty-handed  to  prevent  pursuit  ?  The  more  she 
twisted  and  turned  the  matter  in  her  mind  the 
more  she  added  to  the  weight  of  evidence 
against  Carolus. 

"I  say" — it  was  Metje  speaking  distinctly  and 
with  some  acrimony, — "you  were  right.  The 
young  man  is  a  rascal.  I  liked  him  well,  but  a 
blood-thirsty  villain  who  would  send  an  honest, 
hard-working  body  like  Rob  Marrow  to  be  hung 
in  chains  at  Execution  Dock  is  scarce  the  print  an 
untutored  lass  can  read." 

Judith  remained  silent  for  a  moment;  then  she 
sprang  to  her  feet  excitedly. 

"Look  you,  Metje,"  she  cried.  "While  we 
waste  breath  in  talk  Robin  is  away  at  the  mercy 
of  this  informer." 

"That  I  have  thought  of,  tdo,"  Metje  declared, 
"but  how  can  we  mend  it?  We  know  not  where 

288 


METJE  MAKES  A  CAPTIVE 

to  look  for  them  and,  as  I  figure  it,  for  the  present 
Robin  is  safe.  Master  Carolus  needs  his  help. 
Moreover,  being  the  informer,  he  will  not  wish 
Robin  taken  while  in  his  company." 

Judith  sank  back  in  her  chair,  glad  to  accept 
any  reasoning  that  rid  her  of  one  of  her  worries, 
and  as  she  did  so  there  came  a  light  tap  upon  the 
door  and  a  voice  saying  softly: 

"Metje,  may  I  enter?" 

All  knew  who  was  without,  Krumm's  heavy 
tail  already  wagging  a  welcome  to  a.  friend, 
and  the  door  was  opened  without  delay  to  admit 
Tom  Lane. 

"I  met  Robin  and  De  Heem,  he  said.  "What 's 
this  about  Nan?" 

"What  brings  you  here  at  such  an  hour,  young 
sir,"  Metje  spoke  ponderously.  "  'T  is  scarce 
the  time  for  even  an  honest  que ester — " 

"Metje,"  Judith  said  sharply,  "this  is  no 
occasion  for  such  nonsense !  Master  Lane  is  here 
about  Nan.  Day  and  night  are  one  to  friendly 
anxiety.  The  sand  is  out."  She  turned  the 
glass.  "I  wonder  where  the  dear  child  is?" 

"Indeed  I  have  come  about  her,"  Tom  declared, 
setting  his  jaw,  "but  I  have  also  a  matter  of  my 

289 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

own  to  put  straight.  It  seems  my  character  is 
questioned  by  your  cousin  De  Heern." 

"No  cousin  is  he,  as  I  have  said  many  times. 
But  let  that  pass.  How  does  he  question  you?" 

"In  truth  I  know  not  exactly,"  Tom  said, 
"since  he  told  me  that  the  tulip  was  gone  before 
my  visit.  Yet  he  refused  to  let  me  companion 
them." 

"The  tulip  gone  before  your  visit?"  Judith  knit 
her  brow.  "When  were  you  here?" 

"Not  so  long  since,"  Tom  acknowledged. 
"You  may  think  it  presuming  on  my  part,  but  I 
grew  suspicious  of  Lady  Bellomont  and  the  Here 
de  Heem.  They  drew  apart  and  seemed  to  plot 
together.  There  was  no  chance  to  ask  your  con- 
sent. In  truth  I  had  no  word  with  you  all  after- 
noon, yet  I  determined  to  risk  your  displeasure 
to  save  you  what  you  so  greatly  valued.  I  came 
to  dig  up  the  tulip  and  hide  it." 

Through  Judith's  mind  flitted  the  thought,  "It 
needs  but  Blandina  now!  What  chance  of  ex- 
istence had  my  poor  tulip  so  plotted  against  in 
covetousness  and  kindness?" 

But  she  held  silent,  and  Tom  went  on,  Metje 
290 


METJE  MAKES  A  CAPTIVE 

having  sympathetically  drifted  into  the  out- 
kitchen. 

"I  had  not  meant  to  speak  to-night.  I  had 
thought  to  wait  at  least  until  the  strawberry  fes- 
tival; but  I  never  look  at  you  that  Carolus  doth 
not  fix  me  with  a  mocking  gaze.  I  never  plan 
to  be  alone  with  you  that  he  doth  not  manage  to 
s-end  Blandina  or  Nan  or  Krumm  to  interrupt. 

"I  know  I  stand  small  chance  against  the  court- 
ing of  such  a  gallant,  yet  at  least  he  shall  not 
have  you  until  I  have  spoken.  I  cannot  vie  with 
him,  but,  Judith,  he  doth  not  love  you  better  than 
I  do!" 

Coming  so  unexpectedly  in  the  dead  of  night 
after  all  she  had  gone  through,  Tom  Lane's  dec- 
laration of  love  stirred  Judith  deeply.  This 
was  not  the  way  a  Dutch  suitor  would  have  wooed 
her,  but  she  was  not  sure  that  she  liked  it  the  less 
for  that. 

"Carolus  de  Heem  hath  not  courted  me,"  she 
said  slowly.  "He  cares  no  more  for  me  than  I 
for  him.  Nay,  do  not  laugh!"  Peremptorily 
she  stopped  Tom's  scornful  mirth  at  her  state- 
ment. "I  tell  you  he  hath  said  as  much.  Indeed 

291 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

I  think  Carolus  hath  a  fancy  for  Marya,  so  you 
see  there  is  no  need  of  haste.  We  are  both  over 
young  for  talk  of  love,  and  I  have  no  other 
suitor." 

"For  Marya  Jaspyn !"  Tom  voiced  his  utter  un- 
belief. "Think  you  any  one  could  look  at  that 
bit  of  rose  and  swan's-down  while  you  are  by? 
Do  you  not  know  that  among  these  Dutch  girls 
you  are  like  your  own  dragon  tulip,  strange  and 
arresting?" 

Judith  went  back  almost  guiltily  in  her  mind 
to  Carolus'  statement  that  she  was  French  rather 
than  Dutch ;  and  Tom  read  something  in  her  face, 
for  he  went  on. 

"I  see  I  am  not  the  first  to  tell  you  that.  The 
Jonchere  de  Heem  hath  eyes  and  a  tongue." 

"The  jorrchere  never  bothers  with  either," 
Judith  returned  sharply. 

"There  's  no  maid  in  the  world  mislikes  such 
flattery,"  Tom  replied.  "Well  you  know  that 
although  he  may  be  talking  to  Marya,  to  Nan, 
or  to  my  Lady  Bellomont,  his  eyes  are  ever  on 
you  and  no  one  else." 

"Well  I  know  no  such  thing,"  Judith  declared. 
"I  Hke  him  not,  but  I  must  acquit  him  of  staring 

292 


METJE  MAKES  A  CAPTIVE 

me  out  of  countenance.  He  hath  ever  been  polite 
enough,  so  far  as  that  goes." 

"Polite!  Polite!  I  have  not  said  he  is  not 
polite.  Rather  do  I  fear  him  for  his  subtlety.  He 
is  so  polished  a  man  of  the  world,  so  ready  with 
all  the  small  courtesies  that  maids  love,  so  quick 
to  set  your  chair,  to  hand  your  cup,  to  place  a 
screen  against  the  sun,  that  I  feel  myself  a  pro- 
vincial bumpkin  by  his  side.  I  know  not  if  I 
think  of  such  small  attentions  before  he  does 
them.  At  least  I  am  always  behindhand  when  it 
comes  to  action." 

"You  point  out  much  to  admire  in  him  that  I 
have  never  noted,"  Judith  said,  a  trifle  dryly,  but 
she  could  not  deny  the  facts  when  they  had  been 
brought  to  her  attention.  "However,  admirable 
as  he  is,  I  have  the  bad  taste  to  like  him  not. 
Yet  I  can  promise  myself  to  no  one  else,'  for  I 
may  be  forced  to  wed  him  an  the  tulips  are  not 
found.  You  see  it  is  a  case  of  money." 

"Oh,  you  think  too  much  of  money.  You 
can't  be  forced  to  wed  against  your  will,"  Tom 
said  a  trifle  angrily.  "I  see  what  it  is.  You 
like  to  fancy  yourself  a  figure  of  romance — 
What's  that?" 

293 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

Something  had  fallen  against  the  door  with 
a  crash  that  would  have  burst  it  in  had  it  not  been 
barred. 


294 


CHAPTER  XXI 

IN  WHICH  A  GENTLEMAN  IS  DOUBTED 

METJE  rushed  in  from  the  other  room; 
Krumm  was  on  his  feet,  bristling  but  utter- 
ing no  sound ;  and  Tom  and  Judith  looked  at  each 
other  aghast.  Then  from  without  there  came  a 
deep  groan. 

"  'T  is  Robin,"  said  Metje.  "Step  back,  you. 
He  '-s  sore  hurt  by  the  sound  of  it."  Without 
mor.e  ado  she  brushed  them  aside,  threw  the  door 
open,  and  the  figure  of  Carolus  de  Heem,  already 
collapsed  against  it  on  his  knees,  fell  forward 
into  the  room. 

"Oh,  wae,  woe!"  Metje  sobbed.  "Robin  must 
be  dead!  He  must  be  dead!" 

"No  such  thing,"  declared  Judith  sternly. 
"See  you  not  what  has  happened?  This  fellow 
hath  led  Robin  into  an  ambush,  but  he  has  served 
the  informer  out  ere  he  was  taken.  Help  me  to 
turn  him  over,"  she  said  to  Tom,  as  she  knelt 

295 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

by  Carolus's  side.  "And  you,  Metje,  bring  some 
spirits.  We  must  get  it  all  out  of  him  ere  he  hath 
recovered  the  wit  to  lie." 

Tom,  utterly  at  a  loss  for  an  explanation  of 
her  words,  still  sprang  to  assist  her,  and  together 
they  moved  the  inert  figure,  then  pressed  a  little 
liquor  to  his  lips.  It  ran  down  over  his  chin,  and 
Judith  looked  at  Tom,  horror  dawning  in  her 
eyes. 

"I  think  'tis  death,"  she  whispered,  with  a 
catch  in  her  voice. 

"Nay,  then,"  said  Metje,  "give  me  the  spirits. 
I'll  wring  the  truth  from  him  ere  he  passeth." 

She  too  knelt  on  the  floor  and,  lifting  Carolus's 
head,  managed  at  last  to  force  a  few  drops  of 
spirit  down  his  throat.  He  swallowed  it,  but 
there  was  no  immediate  effect,  and  she  tried 
again.  This  time  his  eyes  opened  and  he  seized 
the  glass  and  took  a  great  gulp  of  the  liquor. 

"  'T  is  what  I  needed,"  he  said  simply.  "Help 
me  up.  We  '11  see  if  I  can  stand." 

On  his  feet  he  looked  about  him;  an  anxiety 
dawned  in  his  eyes. 

"Hath  Robin  not  reached  here  yet  ?  God  send 
he 's  safe.  He  had  been  informed  on."  He  told 

296 


A  GENTLEMAN  IS  DOUBTED 

them  angrily,  his  voice  gaining  a  little  in  strength. 
"The  news  met  us  on  the  Strand.  Warning  had 
been  sent  him  here,  a  friend  said.  I  wanted  him 
to  take  to  the  water  at  once,  but,  because  of  Nan, 
he  refused  to  seize  the  chance;  so  together  we 
pursued  our  inquiries,  to  learn  that  no  one  with 
a  child,  or  a  bundle  big  enough  to  conceal  a  child 
had  entered  the  fort  or  the  Governor's  mansion 
this  night."  He  took  another  gulp  of  the  liquor. 
"We  had  made  so  sure  to  find  her  within  the  fort 
that  this  daunted  us.  At  first  we  know  not  where 
to  begin  our  search  anew.  Then  I  bethought  me 
of  the  distant  shores  of  Nassau  Iseland,  Staten 
Iseland,  and  the  Jersey  provinces,  and  suggested 
that  we  try  for  news  along  the  water  front." 

"But  what  of  Robin,  man?"  asked  Metje. 
"What  happened  him,  and  he  so  big  and  strong?" 

"  'T  was  down  by  the  Halles,"  Carolus  said. 
"We  saw  a  crowd  of  men  coming  against  us. 
Some  were  soldiers,  some  roughs,  and  they 
shouted  back  and  forth  of  the  ten  guineas  on  a 
pirate's  head.  Robin  was  for  staying  and  fight- 
ing them.  I  begged  him  to  run  for  it,  pointing 
out  that  they  had  naught  against  me,  who  am  a 
stranger  here.  Finally  I  persuaded  him,  and  to- 

297 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

gether  we  dodged  in  and  out  of  the  stalls.  Then 
I  told  him  we  must  separate,  it  being  twice  as 
hard  to  follow  two  as  one.  He  agreed  and  ran 
up  an  alleyway,  such  being  our  plan,  you  under- 
stand. But  I,  fearing  that  they  might  overtake 
him,  and  having  a  pretty  conceit  of  my  own  skill 
with  a  sword,  slammed  shut  a  great  door  in  the 
wall  of  a  warehouse  yard  and  stood  in  front  of 
it,  to  lead  them  to  think  I  covered  his  retreat. 
I  ran  little  risk  from  attack  in  front,  being  in  the 
embrasure  with  my  back  against  the  door,  and 
soon  I  was  able  to  convince  them  there  was  no 
price  on  my  head,  so  I  came  here,  hoping  to  find 
him  before  me." 

"Think  you  we  believe  such  a  trumped-up 
tale?"  Judith  burst  out  scornfully.  "How  got 
you  in  such  a  state?"  'T  is  plain  Robin  gave 
you  a  drubbing.  Think  you  we  do  not  know  that 
you  were  the  informer  and  that  he  turned  on  you 
when  you  led  him  into  ambush?  We  have  the 
man  you  sent  against  him  safe  enough,  and  he,  in 
his  turn,  turned  informer."  She  stood  defiant, 
looking  Carolus  up  and  down ;  and  he  faced  her, 
as  ever  with  his  little  mocking  smile  curling  his 
lips. 

298 


A  GENTLEMAN 'IS  DOUBTED 

"Now  would  we  were  cousins/'  he  said  pleas- 
antly, "for,  better  than  any  but  one  other,  do  I 
love  a  good  hater.1' 

As  he  spoke  his  voice  grew  weaker  and  he 
reeled  on  his  feet. 

Tom  Lane  passed  an  arm  about  him  and  turned 
on  Judith  with  some  heat. 

"Call  reason  to  your  aid,"  he  cried.  "This 
man  is  wounded,  but  not  by  Robin." 

"Wounded!"  Judith  repeated  almost  stupidly. 
"He  is  not  wounded." 

"Is  he  not?"  Tom  held  out  a  hand  smeared  with 
red.  "And  is  there  any  in  this  world  who  thinks 
that  Robin  Marrow  would  stab  a  man  in  the 
back?" 

"  'T  is  but  a  scratch,"  Carolus  muttered. 
"Some  one  opened  the  door  and  stuck  a  knife 
through  a  joint  in  my  harness.  I  thought  the 
watch  had  staunched  it,  but  it  is  bleeding  still. 
'T  is  that  that — annoys  me." 

In  a  moment  the  scene  was  changed.  Metje 
hurried  for  linen,  Carolus  was  pressed  into  a 
chair,  Tom  helped  him  off  with  his  accoutre- 
ments, his  shirt  was  slit  to  his  shoulder,  and  soon, 
under  Metje's  skilled  fingers,  the  lips  of  the  wound 

299 


were  brought  together  and  the  bleeding  stayed. 
At  the  end  Carolus  declared  himself  a  whole  man 
again  and  even  begged  for  a  little  food.  But 
through  it  all  Judith  held  herself  aloof.  If  she 
had  wronged  him  she  meant  to  be  sure  she  had 
ere  she  tried  to  make  amends. 

"Now  what 's  this  talk  of  your  holding  in 
custody  one  who  came  to  warn  Robin?"  Car- 
olus asked,  sitting  at  the  kitchen  table  while 
Metje  cut  him  slices  from  the  powdered  mutton 
ham  they  had  dined  off  of. 

"That  is  not  what  we  said,"  Judith  contra- 
dicted him  coldly.  "We  said  we  had  captured 
one  who  had  come  to  seize  Robin." 

"I  am  corrected,"  Carolus  bowed,  "but  let 's 
have  the  man  out.  My  sword-arm  is  still  my 
own,  and  Lane  and  I  can  assuredly  hold  him  in 
check  while  we  question  him.  I  'm  inclined  to 
think  you  '11  find  you  misinterpreted  his  message." 

"Nor  do  I  doubt  it,"  Judith  agreed,  her  lip 
curling,  "with  you  here.  We  can  scarce  expect 
him  to  accuse  you  to  your  face." 

"If  I  may  say  it  without  offense,  I  greatly 
admire  your  consistency,  mademoiselle!"  Car- 
olus murmured.  "Here,  Lane,  take  my  sword. 

300 


A  GENTLEMAN  IS  DOUBTED 

I  will  go  into  the  other  room,  and  do  you  see 
that  you  come  to  the  truth  of  this  matter.  Leave 
it  not  to  mademoiselle  to  supply  the  poor  wretch 
with  his  answers  ere  he  speaks  them.  All 's  fair 
in,  love  and  war/'  he  ended,  meeting  Judith's 
indignant  eyes  with  a  flash  of  his  own. 

"Now  do  you  see  how  he  hates  me?"  she  whis- 
pered to  Tom. 

"Aye,  I  see,"  Tom  answered,  and  with  Metje 
and  Krumm  he  went  to  the  milk-room  to  fetch 
out  the  captive. 

"Is  it  you  at  last,  Rob?"  the  prisoner  cried 
impatiently,  at  the  first  glint  of  light  from  the 
lanthorn.  "I  'm  stiff  as  a  board  and  I  Ve  over- 
set more  than  one  bowl  of  cream,  I  'm  thinking, 
which  serves  that  mad  woman  out  for  the  trick 
she  played  on  me."  He  stumbled  toward  the 
door  as  he  spoke,  to  draw  back  at  the  glint  of  cold 
steel. 

"What's  wrong  wi'  ye,  master  ?"  he  asked  Tom 
peevishly.  "I  come  to  do  a  friend  a  good  turn 
and  am  poorly  repaid  for  it." 

"Come  to  the  fire  and  tell  your  tale,"  Tom  sug- 
gested; and  nothing  loth,  for  he  was  chilled  to 
the  bone,  the  young  man  entered  the  house,  stum- 

301 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

bling  at  the  threshold  and  blinking  at  the  brighter 
light. 

"There's  no  tale  to  tell,"  he  grumbled.  "I 
and  one  other  were  shipmates  with  Rob  Marrow. 
We  stand  together  still  for  love  of  each  other 
and  of  our  old  command.  Ben  Quince  warned 
Rob  there  were  those  who  were  set  on  to  take  him, 
but  he  thought  to  trick  them  and  did  for  a  time. 
Late  to-night  there  came  word  that  the  old 
Jonchere  de  Heem  had  recognized  in  one  Simon 
Gobbet,  pretending  to  be  a  laborer  about  this 
place,  a  vile  pirate." 

"The  Jonchere  de  Heem — he  is  not  old,"  Judith 
interrupted.  "He  is  a  young  man." 

"I  know  not  the  Dutch  of  it,"  Robin's  shipmate 
returned  impatiently.  "De  Heem  this  man  is 
called  and  an  old  rascal  he  is,  take  my  word  for  it. 
I  saw  him  to-night,  and  I  Ve  seen  him  before." 

"Eh,  well,"  said  Metje,  "I  'm  glad  't  was  not 
Master  Carolus.  I  always  loved  the  lad.  On 
with  your  story." 

"I  Ve  naught  more  to  tell,"  he  replied  a  trifle 
sullenly.  "  'T  was  my  turn  to  warn  Rob  should 
danger  come,  so  I  ran  here  straightway.  You 
know  best  why  I  was  met  as  I  was." 

302 


A  GENTLEMAN  IS  DOUBTED 

Here  Carolus  reentered  the  room. 

"I  take  it  the  prisoner  is  dismissed  without  a 
stain  on  his  character,"  he  said,  not  glancing  in 
Judith's  direction,  but  pouring  out  a  glass  of 
schnapps  for  the  captive.  "Now  may  I  have  a 
word  or  two  with  this  man?  Your  name?"  he 
went  on,  without  waiting  for  the  permission  he 
asked. 

"I  'm  Will  Anderson,  sir/'  The  man  pulled  his 
forelock  as  to  a  superior,  and  sipped  the  liquor 
gratefully. 

"You  know  your  way  about  the  water  front, 
I  am  sure,"  Carolus  continued.  "  'T  is  there  you 
will  find  Robin.  You  must  see  him  and  warn  him 
that  he  will  be  worse  than  useless  an  he  is  impris- 
oned." 

"But  Robin  is  no  pirate!"  Judith  broke  out, 
thinking  that  the  time  for  such  play  had  gone  by. 
"How  dare  the  Here  de  Heem  swear  away  a 
man's  life  to  deprive  me  of  a  stout  defender?" 

Robin's  status  as  a  hardy  buccaneer  was  so 
firmly  fixed  in  the  minds  of  most  of  those  present 
that  her  outburst  went  for  naught. 

"It  is  not  safe  for  him  to  return  here  because 
of  the  Here  de  Heem.  I  shall  at  once  set  about 

303 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

having  the  charge  against  him  dismissed.  I  can 
manage  that,  I  think.  Meantime  he  must  take  to 
cover,  sending  me  word  through  you  of  his  well- 
being.  I  offer  you  no  pay  for  your  good  offices 
for  two  reasons.  My  pockets  are  empty  and  I 
would  not  insult  your  loyalty  to  your  mate." 
Carolus  held  out  his  hand  with  a  smile  and 
Anderson  wrung  it  and  took  his  departure. 

"But  what  of  Nan?"  Judith  asked,  when  the 
man  was  gone. 

"Her  father  must  be  summoned  at  once," 
Carolus  returned.  "It  is  my  belief  that  the  child 
recognized  some  one  at  the  work  of  lifting  the 
tulip  and  was  carried  off  to  prevent  her  telling. 
How  I  know  not.  Her  father,  I  learned  to-night, 
had  intimate  relations  with  many  outlaws  in 
Governor  Fletcher's  day.  There  may  be  rea- 
sons for  her  detention  that  we  cannot  guess.  At 
least  we  have  been  able  to  come  by  no  trace  of 
her." 

"Should  we  not  inform  the  authorities  ?  Start 
a  hue  and  cry?" 

"I  dare  not,"  Carolus  replied.  "Close  pressed, 
her  captors  might — "  He  left  his  sentence  un- 
finished, and  Judith  shuddered. 

304 


"Now  I  would  suggest  that  you — both,"  he 
studiously  avoided  meeting  Judith's  eyes,  "go  up- 
stairs and  try  to  sleep.  Even  an  hour's  rest  will 
refresh  you  for  another  day.'1 

"And  you?"  Judith  faltered. 

"There  's  the  slaapbanc.  One  of  them  can  lie 
there,"  Metje  suggested,  for,  like  all  Dutch 
houses,  this  had  its  closet-bed  in  the  kitchen. 
"The  other  can  roll  up  in  a  blanket  in  front  of  the 
fire ;  with  a  pillow  for  his  head  he  can  make  shift 
for  once." 

"We  '11  do  very  well,"  Tom  said  cheerfully. 
"Get  you  gone  to  bed.  There 's  little  enough 
night  left." 

After  supplying  them  with  bedding  and  blan- 
kets the  two  females  blew  out  the  lights  and  went 
upstairs. 

"You  're  wounded.  You  '11  take  the  bed,"  Tom 
suggested,  and  Carolus,  not  wishing  to  make  him 
uncomfortable,  thanked  him  and  threw  himself 
down. 

"Where  think  you  Robin  is?"  Tom  asked 
when  they  were  both  settled. 

"I  believe  after  we  found  that  Nan  was  not 
within  the  fort  Robin  was  glad  to  be  rid  of  me," 

305 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

Carolus  replied.  "There  are  haunts  of  sailors 
and  longshoremen  where  I  could  not  pass  un- 
observed but  he  would  be  at  home.  I  hope  he 
may  yet  send  news.  I  'm  always  hopeful,"  he 
added,  with  a  half-sigh,  half-laugh  at  something 
in  his  own  character  that  was  plain  to  his  mind's 
eye. 

"De  Heem,"  Tom  suddenly  began,  hesitatingly, 
''now  that  we  are  in  some  sort  allies  in  this  mat- 
ter, I  'm  wondering  if  I  took  an  unfair  advantage 
to-night. " 

"Eh,"  said  Carolus,  lifting  himself  on  his  el- 
bow. "You  would  not  do  that,  I  am  sure." 

"I  was  angered  because  you  would  not  have 
me  with  you,"  Tom  explained,  "so  I  came  here  to 
Judith  and  asked  her  to  marry  me." 

"Indeed,"  returned  Carolus  gravely,  and  al- 
most Tom  could  fancy  he  saw  his  eyebrows  arch, 
"but  I  could  scarce  expect  you  to  ask  me  to  be 
present  at  such  a  declaration." 

"No,"  Tom  agreed,  "yet  I  need  not  have  told 
her  you  were  in  love  with  her." 

"That  would  seem  superfluous,"  Carolus  ad- 
mitted, "but  I  'm  curious  to  know  how  the  lady 
took  the  information." 

306 


A  GENTLEMAN  IS  DOUBTED 

"She  seemed  scarce  to  take  it  seriously/1  Tom 
acknowledged. 

"Then  there  's  no  harm  done  and  we  can  sleep," 
Carolus  suggested,  dropping  back  on  his  pillow 
and  ejaculating,  "Ouch !"  as  he  did  so. 

"She  did  not  reject  me,  I  would  have  you  under- 
stand," Tom  said,  bristling  a  little,  "but  she  told 
me  that  she  might  be  forced  to  marry  you." 

"Poor  me !"  Carolus  exclaimed,  "to  be  fated  to 
wed  an  unwilling  lady !" 

"Then  you  would  marry  her,  and  she  reluc- 
tant?" Tom  questioned,  his  voice  betraying  his 
indignation. 

"  'T  would  be  a  sad  quandary,"  Carolus  re- 
turned, "for  you  must  acknowledge  that  a  man 
of  spirit  could  scarce  reject  a  lady.  No,  I  see 
but  one  way  out.  You  must  save  me  from  the 
horns  of  such  a  dilemma." 

"I?"  Tom's  tone  was  startled.  "How  can  I 
do  that?" 

"There  are  several  ways,"  Carolus  returned, 
and  his  companion  cursed  the  dark  that  made  it 
impossible  to  see  his  face  and  read  his  real  mean- 
ing there.  "I  understand  they  marry  one  quickly 
at  -Sir  Harry  Moody's  at  Gravesend;  but  per- 

307 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

chance  the  easiest  and  surest  way  would  be  for 
you  to  find  the  tulip." 

"Find  the  tulip,"  Tom  grasped,  "but,  man,  how 
can  I  think  of  little  things  like  that  and  Nan 
gone  ?" 

Something  like  a  faint  chuckle  sounded  from 
the  slaapbanc,  but  the  conversation  stopped  there ; 
for  the  door,  which  had  never  been  bolted  after 
Will  Anderson's  departure,  was  thrown  violently 
open.  A  cloaked  figure  showed  for  a  moment 
against  the  dull  mist  as  a  man  entered,  and  then 
the  door  was  as  violently  shut  behind  him, 
Krumm's  growls  half  drowning  the  sounds  of 
his  heavy  breathing. 


308 


IN  WHICH  JAN  BLOEMERS  DROPS  IN 

HEARING  Krumm's  gro'wl,  the  new-comer 
backed  against  the  door,  but  his  eyes,  ac- 
customed to  the  dark,  at  once  made  out  the  figure 
of  Tom  Lane  extended  before  the  fire. 

"Carolus,"  he  said  sharply,  "call  off  that  brute 
if  you  would  not  have  him  killed.  I  warn  you  I 
go  armed." 

Tom,  recognizing  Here  de  Heem's  voice,  threw 
his  arms  around  Krumm's  neck  but  left  Carolus 
to  answer  this  remark. 

"The  dog  will  not  harm  you,"  young  De  Heem 
said,  "but  I  knew  not  that  you  were  out.  Cer- 
tainly you  locked  the  door  in  my  face  some  hours 
gone." 

"Important  business  called  me  abroad  again," 
De  Heem  returned,  shaking  the  moisture  from 
his  hat.  "Who  was  it  bolted  the  door  of  the 
voorhuis?" 

309 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"I,"  Carolus  replied.  "  'T  is  customary  to 
bolt  it,  is  it  not?  I  thought  it  a  wise  precaution 
• — the  more  so  in  that  I  failed  to  find  the  key." 

"The  door  was  safe  locked  and  you  knew  it," 
fumed  De  Heem.  "Have  a  care,  -sir.  Some  day 
you  will  try  me  too  far." 

"Is  that  Robin?"  Judith's  voice  spoke  from  the 
voorhuis.  "May  we  come  in?  We  heard  the 
door  slam?" 

"Come  by  all  means,"  Carolus  replied  cheerily. 
"But  it  is  not  Robin,"  he  added,  as  Metje  and 
Judith  entered  and  lighted  the  candles. 

At  sight  of  De  Heem  Judith's  figure  stiffened 
and  she  fronted  him  gravely. 

"Sir,"  she  said,  "I  wait  to  hear  your  excuse 
for  your  treachery  to  one  in  my  employ.  How 
dare  you,  eating  my  bread,  lodge  information 
against  one  of  my  servants  ?" 

If  the  girl  was  angry  De  Heem  was  angrier. 

"Mistress  to  you!"  he  grunted.  "In  the  first 
place,  I  do  not  acknowledge  that  I  eat  your  bread. 
In  the  second  place,  when  a  pirate  is  at  large 
with  a  price  on  his  head,  an  innocent  girl  should 
be  thankful  to  be  protected  from  him,  even  if 

310 


JAN  BLOEMERS  DROPS  IN 

't  was  too  late  to  save  her  valued  (you  note  I 
do  not  say  valuable)  tulip." 

"You  do  not  deny  that  you  informed  on  him?" 

"I  rarely  waste  time,"  De  Heem  interrupted, 
"nor,  let  me  add,  do  I  intend  to  waste  much  more 
here.  I  purpose  returning  to  the  Nederlandts  in 
the  next  vessel  sailing  from  this  port.  In  view 
of  the  fact  of  your  knowledge  that  my  affairs 
must  suffer  in  my  absence,  the  governor  has  fa- 
vorably considered  my  plea  that  you  be  forced 
to  an  instant  settlement." 

Judith  stood  speechless  before  this  announce- 
ment, and  De  Heem  left  the  kitchen  without  trou- 
bling to  look  for  the  effect  of  his  words. 

"Check,"  said  Carolus  from  the  slaapbanc, 
"but  not  mate  yet,  mademoiselle.  Before  you 
came  in  Master  Lane  and  I  were  discussing  the 
necessity  of  recovering  the  tulip.  I  told  him  it 
was  his  duty,  but  he  seemed  to  think  that  to  find 
Nan  was  much  more  important." 

"And  he  was  right,"  Judith  returned,  the  fire 
in  her  glance  quenched.  "Nan's  life  may  be  at 
stake.  The  tulip  means  only — my — happiness." 

"I  would  we  knew  where  Robin  is,"  Metje  said 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

miserably,  looking  'out  into  a  sodden  world  where 
dawn  was  beginning  to  break.  "Who  are  you, 
lad?"  she  cried  of  -a  sudden,  throwing  open  the 
door  and  pouncing  upon  a  boy,  who  made  a  quick 
attempt  to  twist  out  of  her  grasp. 

"I  've  done  naught  to  be  hit  for,"  the  urchin 
whined.  "Why  be  ye  pulling  me  about?  I  '11 
tell  my  father  if  you  beat  me,  and  me  doing 
naught  but  what  I  'm  paid  to  do." 

Metje  had  drawn  him  within  the  portal  and  he 
now  stood  fumbling  his  hat  and  looking  cunningly 
from  one  to  another  of  those  whose  faces  showed 
white  and  drawn  in  the  strange  light  where  can- 
dles still  were  brighter  than  day. 

"What  is  it  you  are  paid  to  do?"  Carolus  asked. 
"Have  you  a  message?  Hand  it  over." 

"Nay,  't  was  not  you  who  was  to  have  it  but 
the  Juffer  Van  Taarl,"  the  boy  said.  "I  am  to 
place  it  in  her  hands  and  hers  alone." 

"Why,  it  is  Jan  Bloemers,"  Judith  cried,  com- 
ing forward  eagerly.  "Give  me  the  letter."  For 
on  her  -coming  he  had  pulled  a  paper  from  the 
lining  of  his  hat. 

At  the  sight  of  it  her  face  brightened  and  half 
her  cares  seemed  to  have  slipped  from  her  shoul- 

312 


JAN  BLOEMERS  DROPS  IN 

ders,  for  it  bore  Salvador  Dacosta's  unmistak- 
able seal. 

He  had  not  forgotten  her  then.  The  mysteri- 
ous little  man  had  meant  it  when  he  had  said  he 
would  stand  her  friend.  A  certain  sentiment 
made  her  preserve  the  seal  that  meant  so  much  to 
her,  and  again  she  opened  the  letter  carefully.  It 
read: 

Have  you  a  picture  of  your  tulip?  Give  it  to  bearer 
and  I  may  be  able  to  help  you.  YOUR  FRIEND. 

All  in  the  room  watched  her  with  unconcealed 
interest,  feeling  that  a  letter  received  at  such  a 
time  must  be  important. 

"It  is  not  from  Robin,"  she  told  them,  "but  the 
news  hath  hope  in  it  about  the  tulip.  Wait  here," 
she  addressed  Jan.  "I  will  be  back  at  once." 

She  left  the  room  to  return  with  the  picture 
of  the  flower  in  her  hand. 

"Find  me  wrappings,"  she  told  Metje.  "This 
must  be  done  up  with  care  against  the  foul 
weather." 

"Mademoiselle,"  Carolus  began  of  a  sudden, 
"try  for  a  moment  to  forget  your  dislike  of  me. 
Try  to  see  that  I  can  have  no  selfish  motives  in 

313 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

what  I  am  about  to  say.  Are  you  sure  it  is  wise 
to  let  that  picture  go  out  of  your  own  hands?" 

"I  am  sure  it  will  be  safer  out  of  this  house," 
Judith  said  coldly. 

"That  may  be  true,"  Carolus  returned,  unmis- 
takably hurt,  "but  place  it  personally  in  the  hands 
of  one  you  can  trust.  Do  not  risk  it  with  this 
little  rowdy.  He  is  not  a  sufficiently  responsible 
messenger.  Remember  that  drawing  is  all  the 
means  you  have  to  identify  your  tulip." 

"What  you  say  is  true,"  Judith  spoke  more 
graciously,  "but  this  letter  is  from  one  in  whom 
I  have  every  confidence." 

"You  know  the  writing?"  Carolus  asked. 

"No,"  Judith  hesitated,  "I  cannot  say  I  do." 

"Then,  an  you  are  not  sure  of  the  writer,  you 
must  not  risk  the  picture." 

Metje  arrived  with  the  wrappings  but  that 
"must  not"  was  too  vehement.  Judith  laid  the 
picture  on  the  table  and  began  to  do  it  up  with 


care. 
it 


I  am  sure,"  she  said,  "this  is  his  seal.    There 
are  not  two  like  to  it  in  New  Yorke." 

She   had    laid   the   letter    also    on   the   table 
314 


JAN  BLOEMERS  DROPS  IN 

whence  Tom  Lane  now  picked  it  up  and  exam- 
ined it  curiously. 

"Saw  you  ever  the  like  of  that,  De  Heem?"  he 
asked,  carrying  it  over  to  the  slaapbanc  where 
Carolus  reclined. 

iCarolus  took  it  from  his  hands  and  examined 
it  carefully. 

'Tis  Hebrew,  I  think,"  he  said,  "and,  as  you 
justly  say,  there  are  scarce  two  such  in  this 
city." 

Judith  had  made  an  end  of  swathing  the  pic- 
ture about  with  wrappings  and  was  now  tying 
it  stoutly  with  tape.  One  end  was  too  long,  and 
she  motioned  Tom  to  cut  it  with  his  hanger  just 
as  Carolus  stiffly  heaved  himself  out  of  bed  and 
walked  across  the  room  to  the  window. 

"You  will  be  careful  of  that  package,  Jan," 
Judith  said  anxiously,  as  she  gave  it  into  his 
hands.  "Do  not  stop  to  fight  on  the  way." 

"That  I  won't,  meisje,"  Jan  promised,  making 
for  the  door  in  haste  to  escape,  where  Carolus 
was  just  a  second  too  quick  for  him,  kicking  it 
to  in  his  face  ere  he  could  reach  it. 

"Watch  him,  Lane,  that  he  doth  not  harm  the 

315 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

drawing,"  he  cried.  Then  he  turned  to  Judith. 
"I  beg  you,  in  the  name  of  that  happiness  which 
you  said  was  at  stake,  not  to  act  hastily  in  this 
matter." 

"Is  this  my  house  or  is  it  not  ?"  Judith  stamped 
her  foot.  "Am  I  to  be  constrained,  bidden  to  do 
this  or  not  to  do  that,  by  every  stranger  who 
lodges  beneath  my  roof  ?  Let  the  boy  go !  It  is 
my  wish  that  he  do  this  errand  as  quickly  as  may 
be  and  rid  me  of  this  domination." 

Tom  stood  aside  ready  to  let  Bloemers  pass, 
while  the  boy  grinned  at  Carolus  impudently 
and  made  a  step  toward  the  door;  but  Carolus 
set  himself  in  front  of  it. 

"Nay,  then,  he  shall  not  go !"  he  cried  as  hotly 
as  Judith  herself.  "You  cannot  be  so  self-willed 
as  that.  Why  ruin  yourself  to  spite  me?  Un- 
less 't  is  your  wish  to  bring  about  our  marriage, 
you  will  examine  well  this  seal."  He  held  it  out 
toward  her. 

"I  have  done  so,"  Judith  declared,  as  icy  as  she 
had  been  hot  before,  refusing  to  take  it  from 
his  hand. 

"Aye,"  Carolus  muttered  bitterly,  "as  you  ex- 
amine everything — on  one  side  only." 

316 


"Sir,"  said  Judith,  "as  I  see  it,  there  is  but  one 
side  to  all  questions — the  right  side." 

"Have  it  your  own  way,"  .Carolus  returned, 
"I  am  not  minded  to  bandy  words  with  you. 
This  is  not  a  case  of  double  meanings  but  of 
facts.  Here  is  this  seal.  Without  looking  at  it 
save  with  one  careless  glance,  you  say  it  is  a  right 
and  proper  seal,  and  stake  your  all  upon  it." 

"And  so  I  do!"  Judith  exclaimed  heatedly. 

"And  are  a  fool  for  your  pains,"  Carolus  told 
her  rudely,  caring  nothing  what  he  said  to  her 
so  that  he  roused  her  from  her  self-satisfaction. 
"I  say  it  is  no  seal  at  all,  and  stand  ready  to  prove 
it.  Yet  because  you  like  me  not,  though  whether 
it  is  the  color  of  my  hair  or  the  shape  of  my  nose 
that  so  enrages  you  I  know  not,  your  pride 
and  obstinacy  move  you  to  refuse  this  proof  for 
no  better  reason,  forsooth,  than  because  't  is  I 
who  proffer  it."  He  turned  from  her  and  held 
out  the  letter  to  Metje.  "Here,  Metje,"  he  said, 
"let 's  hope  you  have  brains  in  your  head  to  com- 
prehend what  your  mistress  refuseth  to  look  at. 
If  you  turn  that  over  you  will  see,  where  the 
letter  hath  been  torn  open,  a  scrap  of  blue  paper. 
This  seal,  when  it  was  an  honest  seal,  was 

317 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

dropped  on  paper  of  that  hue.  On  this  letter, 
which  is  white,  it  has  been  pasted  solely  to  mis- 
lead the  unwary." 

There  was  a  scuffle  as  Jan  Bloemers  dashed  for 
the  door.  Foiled  there,  Metje  was  only  in  time  to 
seize  him  when  he  tried  to  reach  the  fireplace  and 
throw  the  parcel  therein.  At  last,  Tom  Lane 
grasping  both  his  wrists,  the  woman  took  the 
drawing  from  him  and  handed  it  silently  to 
Judith,  who  received  it  as  silently. 

Jan  Bloemers  at  once  created  another  diversion 
by  making  a  new  dash  for  liberty,  and,  no  one 
having  any  reason  for  keeping  him,  he  was 
allowed  to  escape,  although  Krumm  would  have 
been  delighted  to  receive  orders  to  delay  him. 

It  was  full  daylight  by  now  and  Judith  watched 
the  boy  run  down  the  path,  his  wooden  shoes 
clattering;  then  she  turned  with  a  sigh,  prepar- 
ing to  make  some  sort  of  an  apology  to  Carolus, 
but  he  too  had  gone.  Only  Tom  and  Metje  were 
there  and,  as  she  looked,  Metje  snuffed  out  the 
candles. 

Another  day  was  begun. 


318 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

IN  WHICH  A  MARRIAGE  IS  ARRANGED 

WITH  daylight  Tom  Lane  elected  to  go 
home,  and  shortly  thereafter  came  Kate 
to  report  no  news  in  Waal  Straat.  It  was  de- 
termined that  she  should  at  once  despatch  mes- 
sengers after  Mistress  Homan  and  her  husband, 
and,  opening  the  kitchen  door  to  set  off  on  this 
errand,  she  was  arrested  on  the  steps  by  the 
sound  of  a  voice. 

"But  you  must  find  it,  Krumm,"  were  the 
words  spoken  in  earnest  tones.  "I  cannot  live 
with  you  always.  I  must  get  me  home  to  break- 
fast ere  I  am  missed.  And,  on  one  foot,  I  cannot 
hop  all  the  way  to  the  Waal  Straat." 

No  more  was  needed.  With  a  piercing  shriek 
Nurse  Kate  rounded  the  corner  to  Krumm's  ken- 
nel and  descended  upon  Nan,  no  longer  loving 
and  anxious  but  filled  with  righteous  wrath  for 
all  she  had  suffered  through  her  anxiety. 

"Never  in  the  history  of  this  province  was 

319 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

there  such  a  wicked  child,"  she  cried  heatedly. 
"You  should  be  soundly  slapped — " 

Nan  lightly  dodged  her  onslaught  and  fled  to 
Judith,  looking  out  from  the  shelter  of  her  arms 
impishly,  while  Krumm  ranged  himself  in  front 
of  them,  holding  Kate  off  with  a  show  of  glisten- 
ing teeth. 

"Nay,  I  am  not  wicked,"  Nan  declared,  "for  I 
did  not  steal  Judith's  tulips  though  I  tried  to." 

"But  you  are  wicked  to  set  your  dog  on  your 
loving  nurse,"  sobbed  Kate,  bursting  into  tears 
at  the  thought,  her  short-lived  anger  gone ;  where- 
at Nan  cast  off  Judith's  arm  to  run  to  her  and  be 
smothered  with  kisses. 

"Though  little  you  care  for  my  love  or  worri- 
ment,"  Nurse  Kate  wept. 

"But  I  do,  indeed  I  do,"  Nan  vowed.  "I  never 
thought  you  would  know  that  I  was  gone.  You 
sleep  so  soundly  that  many  a  night  the  maids  and 
I  play  hide  and  seek  and  such  gay  games  through 
the  whole  house  without  your  blinking  an  eye." 

"The  maids,  say  you?"  Kate  bristled,  glad  to 
find  some  one  to  vent  her  anger  on.  "And,  pray, 
who  lets  them  out,  once  I  have  closed  the  door  on 
them?" 

320 


A  MARRIAGE  IS  ARRANGED 

But  this  question  Nan  was  not  ready  to 
answer,  seeing  that  the  blame  was  hers.  In- 
stead she  turned  to  Judith  mysteriously. 

"Didst  ever  see  one  walking  in  sleep?"  she 
asked.  "And  snoring  the  while?" 

"Now  that  I  do  not  do,"  Kate  said.  "I  do  not 
snore,  I  vow.  Full  many  a  night  I  Ve  lain  awake 
to  make  sure." 

"Here  is  your  shoe,  Nan;  be  off  home  with 
you,"  Metje  suggested,  but  Judith  stopped  the 
child. 

"Why  did  you  not  go  back  when  you  found 
the  tulips  gone?"  she  asked.  "For  I  suppose 
they  were  gone  ere  you  got  here?" 

"A  man  frighted  me,"  Nan  explained.  "In 
the  dark  he  was  upon  me  ere  I  saw  him,  and  I 
ran  like  a  rabbit  and  scrambled  into  Krumm's 
house  for  safety.  Once  there,  I  was  minded  to 
stay,  for  there  were  a  mort  of  people  about  the 
place  and  I  was  warm  and  cozy." 

That  evidently  was  all  she  had  to  tell,  and 
Judith  let  her  go  after  she  had  said  that  the  man, 
she  was  sure,  was  a  stranger  to  her,  else  had 
she  not  feared  him. 

There  still  remained  the  affair  of  the  tulip  to 
321 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

puzzle  Judith,  and  she  was  glad  when  Moeye 
Beletje  made  several  excursions  down  the  stairs, 
with  the  heels  of  her  slippers  clapping  on  each 
step,  to  go  back  laden  with  trays  of  food  for  her 
family,  so  that  Metje  and  she  were  left  to  break- 
fast alone. 

The  two  then  did  their  familiar  work  about  the 
house  nervously,  their  ears  ever  on  the  strain  for 
an  arrival  heralding  news  of  some  sort,  though 
where  it  was  to  come  from  they  knew  not. 

At  last  Judith  went  into  the  office  and  wrote 
a  note  to  Salvador  Dacosta  begging  him  to 
appoint  a  place  where  she  might  see  him.  This 
she  addressed  to  David  Cohen  at  the  City  Tavern, 
as  he  had  instructed  her  to  do,  and  despatched 
it  by  the  boy  who  carried  water  from  the  Tea- 
water  Pump. 

She  had  no  idea  how  the  Jew  could  help  her, 
but  she  had  no  one  else  to  turn  to,  for  she  knew 
full  well  that,  to  most  of  the  Dutchmen  in  New 
Yorke  the  plan  of  a  marriage  with  Carolus  would 
seem  as  easy  and  sensible  a  solution  of  her  diffi- 
culty as  it  had  to  her  own  father;  and  on  one 
point  she  was  more  and  more  determined.  She 

322 


A  MARRIAGE  IS  ARRANGED 

would  not  be  forced  into  a  marriage  with  any 
one  who  held  her  in  the  contempt  Carolus  did. 

While  she  was  turning  over  in  her  mind  the 
thought  of  what  to  do  next  he  came  slowly  down. 

"I  must  speak  to  you  in  private,"  he  said, 
looking  up  the  stairs  apprehensively. 

Without  a  word  Judith  led  the  way  to  the 
office. 

"The  person  who  took  Nan  may  also  have 
taken  the  tulip,"  he  began,  "or  Nan,  having  the 
tulip,  may  have  been  seized  with  it  in  her  posses- 
sion. That  tulip  must  be  found.  I  want  no 
unwilling  bride." 

"Would  it  not  be  easy  enough  for  you  to 
refuse  to  marry  me?"  Judith  suggested  eagerly. 
"I  would  pay  each  year  until  all  was  done." 

"No,"  said  Carolus,  "that  I  may  not  do.  I  was 
committed  to  the  marriage  before  ever  I  came 
here  and  saw  you.  It  is  the  price  I  pay  for — 
it  matters  not  for  what.  Sufficeth  that  it  is  a 
price  agreed  on ;  and  there  is  more  than  the  money 
at  stake ;  I  am  sure  of  that.  Not  putting  too  fine 
a  point  on  it,  Claes  de  Heem's  son  might  make 
a  richer  marriage  in  the  Old  World,  an  his 

323 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

father  willed  it;  so  you  see  he  hath  another 
reason,  and  it  is  scarce  love  for  eitfier  of  us, 
mademoiselle." 

"Why  should  your  father  dislike  you?" 

Carolus  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"I  know  not,  nor  care.  My  mother  died  before 
I  can  remember.  The  first  kindness  I  ever  kne\v 
came  from  your  aunt." 

"So  that  is  why  you  are  so  patient  with  her  ?" 

"Should  a  lonely  lad  not  be  patient  with  the 
only  soul  who  loves  him?"  Carolus  returned 
almost  ifritably. 

"I  should  have  told  you  sooner,"  Judith  said. 
"Nan  is  back.  In  truth  she  was  never  taken." 
In  a  few  words  she  related  the  child's  story,  over 
which  Carolus  shook  his  head. 

"There  's  naught  to  tell  us  if  this  was  still 
another  marauder  or  if  it  was  the  man  I  tussled 
with,"  he  said.  "Nor  does  it  greatly  matter. 
I  '-m  going  out.  I  shall  make  the  rounds  of  the 
taverns.  A  chance  word  might  put  me  on  the 
track.  So  far  I  am  like  a  man  trying  to  climb 
a  hill  of  shifting  sands.  Each  step  forward 
sends  me  sliding  to  where  I  was  before,  and 
accomplishes  naught  but  to  raise  a  cloud  of  dust 

324 


A  MARRIAGE  IS  ARRANGED 

to  hide  what  I  seek.  Still  I  am  right  glad  Nan  is 
safe."  He  swung  out  of  the  door  as  he  spoke 
and  was  gone. 

The  day  wore  on.  The  Here  de  Heem  also 
left  the  house  early  and  did  not  come  back. 
Moeye  Beletje,  without  her  husband  to  keep  her 
in  subjection,  was  free  to  talk  of  her  favorite, 
and  for  once  Judith  listened  leniently.  She  was 
conscious  of  many  wrongs  that  she  had  done 
Carolus  in  her  thoughts,  and  here  was  her  chance 
to  do  a  kindness  which  he  would  be  grateful  for. 

"He  is  so  good,  so  true,  so  handsome,"  Moeye 
Beletje  ran  on.  "He  was  such  a  favorite  at 
court.  He  stood  so  high  in  the  estimation  of  the 
king." 

"At  court?"  said  Judith  astounded.  "Nay, 
Moeye  Beletje,  I  know  not  what  you  are  speaking 
of.  Who  was  the  king?" 

"William  of  Orange,  to  be  sure,"  her  aunt  said. 
"Indeed  it  was  his  attendance  on  the  king  that 
has  tied  us  in  this  knot,  or  partly." 

"Tell  me  about  it,"  Judith  begged,  at  last 
really  interested. 

"The  De  Heems,  you  know,  are  of  prominence 
in  Holland,"  her  aunt  began  importantly.  "Claes 

325 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

hath  great  establishments.  He  tells  me  now  that 
't  was  I  who  was  ambitious  for  Carolus.  I 
thought  he  wished  him  to  stand  high  in  the  king's 
favor,  even  as  I  did,  else  why  did  he  have  him 
trained  and  educated  as  a  soldier?  To  which  I 
was  opposed,  it  being  a  bloody  and  dangerous 
calling.  At  all  events  the  boy  caught  the  king's 
eye,  and  he  carried  him  back  and  forth  to  England 
in  his  suite.  His  future  seemed  assured.  Now 
Claes,  for  all  he  was  so  rich,  was  ever  cautious 
with  money;  and,  while  he  wished  his  son  to 
ruffle  it  with  the  highest,  he  would  have  sent  him 
lean  supplies.  Carolus  made  no  complaint,  but  I, 
being  a  woman,  guessed  that  expenses  at  court 
must  be  heavy.  Therefore  I  scrimped  here  and 
pinched  there,  and  so,  saving  a  plenty  for  him,  sent 
it  to  him  in  his  father's  name,  bidding  him  re- 
member that  he  had  no  liking  for  thanks ;  for  I 
did  not  wish  the  lad  to  think  that  I  lacked  for 
aught  on  his  account. 

"Carolus  was  home  on  a  visit  when  his  father 
descended  upon  me,  calling  me  thief,  a  trickster — 
I  know  not  what.  The  boy  came  in  upon  us  in 
the  midst  of  this  horrible  quarrel,  the  very  reason 
for  which  I  could  not  guess.  He  interposed  to 

326 


A  MARRIAGE  IS  ARRANGED 

protect  me,  and  then  it  came  out  that  Claes  con- 
sidered I  had  robbed  him  in  those  years  when  I 
had  sent  supplies  to  our  son.  (  Of  course  I  know 
that  he  is  not  my  son,  Judith,  but  I  love  him  as 
though  he  were  so  in  truth.)" 

"Yes,  yes !"  said  Judith  impatiently.  "Go  on." 
"  'T  was  then  Carolus,  learning  all,  resigned 
from  the  king's  service  and  wished  to  be  set  to 
work  to  pay  this  money  back;  but  his  father 
insisted  that  it  was  I,  not  Carolus,  who  was  re- 
sponsible and  that  he  meant  to  hold  me  so.  He 
scoffed  at  the  idea  of  Carolus  being  of  use  in  his 
business,  refusing  to  be  burdened  with  him  there ; 
but  one  day,  after  he  had  been  more  than  usually 
hard  on  me,  Carolus  jumped  from  his  chair  and 
said — I  can  see  him  yet,  Judith,  he  was  so  brave 
and  handsome — 'I  'd  sell  my  soul  to  the  devil/ 
he  said — those  were  his  very  words, — 'if  I 
could  buy  my  mother  peace  from  your  perse- 
cution.' 

"  Tine  words/  sneered  Claes.  (He  hath  a 
sneering  way  with  him  sometimes,  Judith.  You 
may  have  noticed  it. )  'We  '11  see  how  much 
they  're  worth.  Listen,  thou !'  He  meant  Car- 
olus. 'I  have  put  too  much  to  be  wholesome  in 

327 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

one  venture.  Wilt  go  to  New  Yorke  and  marry 
the  girl  I  pick  out  for  thee,  if  I  let  bygones  be 
bygones  with  thy  mother  ?' 

"  'Aye,  and  you  settle  a  decent  jointure  on  her 
as  well ;  that  I  will/  Carolus  replied. 

"And  when  I  heard  that  you  were  the  maid, 
Judith,  I  had  high  hopes  that  you  and  he  might 
grow  fond  of  each  other.  You  do  like  him  better 
than  you  did,  Judith?  I  marked  you  right 
friendly  with  him  in  the  office." 

"Yes,"  said  Judith  in  a  strangled  voice.  "I 
like  him — better  than  I  did.  Have  you  finished 
your  tea,  Moeye  Beletje?  I  must  run  and  see 
how  Metje's  work  comes  on." 

When  she  reached  the  kitchen  it  was  to  find 
Metje  holidaying. 

Robin  was  there.  How  he  had  come  or  when 
Judith  had  no  idea,  but  he  was  standing  awk- 
wardly before  Metje,  saying,  "There,  there,  lass, 
there  's  naught  to  cry  for.  Why  that  tear  was  as 
big  as  a  double  guinea,  and  I  've  none  backslided. 
I  tell  thee,  none  at  all." 

Judith  hated  to  break  in  upon  them,  but  it  was 
still  broad  daylight  and  De  Heem  might  return. 

"Robin!"  she  exclaimed.  "I  am  right  glad 
328 


A  MARRIAGE  IS  ARRANGED 

you  are  safe.  But  the  Here  de  Heem  has  in- 
formed against  you  and  he  may  be  here  himself 
at  any  minute." 

"Aye,"  said  Robin  complacently.  "The  swine! 
I  am  come  to  squash  him  like  a  kackerlack. 
What  right  has  the  like  of  him  to  go  informing 
on  an  honest  man  like  me?" 

"But,  Robin,"  Judith  spoke  anxiously,  "for  all 
that 's  true,  there 's  no  ten  pounds'  reward  set 
on  his  head  like  there  is  now  on  yours." 

"Then  there  ought  to  be,"  Robin  averred 
stoutly.  "I  'm  none  backsliding,  girl.  I  mean  to 
settle  down  to  grow  onions  and  carrot-roots  for 
the  rest  of  my  days."  This  was  by  way  of  an- 
swer to  Metje's  hand  on  his  arm.  "But  first 
there  's  duty  to  be  done.  None  shall  throw  dirt 
at  me,  let  alone  one  who  is  tarred  with  the  same 
stick." 

"That's  wild  talk,  Robin,"  Judith  said.  "I 
think  he  's  a  villain,  but  when  all  is  said  the  Here 
de  Heem  is  no  buccaneer." 

"That  he  is,  and  a  marooner  too,  and  I  can 
prove  it.  I  and  two  other  witnesses.  " 

"Then  tell  your  tale  and  let  me  judge  it,"  Judith 
suggested,  but  Robin  set  his  jaw  obstinately. 

329 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"Never  in  my  life  did  I  take  away  a  man's 
good  name  behind  his  back,  nor  will  I  now,"  he 
averred  stoutly.  "I  shall  wait  for  him  and  have 
it  out,  man  to  man,  when  he  cometh  home." 

From  this  stand  nothing  would  move  him  and 
the  best  they  could  do  was  to  persuade  him,  by 
means  of  floods  of  Metje's  tears,  that  he  must 
submit  to  be  concealed  in  the  office  until  such 
time  as  De  Heem  returned. 

Tom  Lane  was  the  next  arrival,  in  his  youthful 
egotism  filling  the  air  with  his  own  story.  He 
was  full  of  apologies  for  not  coming  sooner,  but 
his  father  had  kept  him  urgently  employed,  and, 
short  of  telling  the  whole  truth,  it  had  been  im- 
possible for  him  to  get  away. 

"Have  you  heard  that  the  Governor  and  his 
lady  are  soon  to  leave  us  for  Boston?"  he  asked 
excitedly.  "Think  you  this  departure  hath  aught 
to  do  with  the  tulip?" 

Judith  considered  the  matter;  then  shook  her 
head. 

"The  Governor  is  an  honorable  man,"  she  said, 
"but  this  I  know.  Her  ladyship  will  be  happy 
indeed  to  leave  us  and  our  Dutchness." 

"I  have  been  half  wild  with  anxiety  about 
330 


A  MARRIAGE  IS  ARRANGED 

Nan,"  Tom  now  confided  to  the  girl.  "No 
wonder  I  have  made  mistakes  and  had  my  work 
to  do  twice  over.  I  should  think  this  day  would 
settle  my  father  to  send  me  back  to  my  studies." 

"That  would  suit  your  taste,"  Judith  pointed 
out. 

"It  would  have,  once,'.'  Tom  acknowledged, 
"but  my  plans  have  changed.  I  'm  minded  now 
to  go  to  work  in  right  earnest.  I  wish  to  be 
able  to  support  my  wife,"  he  ended  pompously. 

"So!"  Judith  looked  at  him  out  of  the  cor- 
ner of  her  eye,  wondering  inwardly  the  while 
why  she  was  not  able  to  take  him  seriously. 
"You  're  thinking  of  marrying  then?" 

"Full  well  you  know  I  am,"  he  retorted  with 
meaning.  "First  we  '11  find  Nan,  then  I  '11  have 
time  to  look  about  for  the  tulip,  and,  with  that 
found,  you  '11  have  to — " 

"But  Nan  is  found,"  Judith  said.  "At  least 
she  never  was  lost — " 

The  return  of  Carolus  at  this  moment  put  her 
in  some  manner  out  of  countenance.  He  was  pale 
and  carried  his  shoulder  stiffly,  making  Judith 
think  of  his  wound,  which  she  had  never  had  the 
grace  to  inquire  after. 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"Robin  is  here,  Metje  tells  me,"  he  whispered 
eagerly.  "Now  I  'm  right  glad  he  met  no  hurt." 

"But  you  did,"  Judith  said  with  unwonted 
meekness.  "How  is  your  wound?" 

"It  does  not  impair  my  fighting  qualities," 
Carolus  replied,  as  if  to  imply  that  Judith  could 
have  no  other  interest  in  his  injury. 

"I  'm  off  to  Waal  Straat  to  hear  of  Nan's  doing 
at  first  hand,"  Tom  cut  in.  It  seemed  to  him 
that  he  was  ever  left  trailing  behind  like  the  tail 
to  a  kite  when  Carolus  was  by. 

"Wait  but  a  moment,"  Carolus  interposed. 
"I  have  a  thought!  That  picture  may  not  be 
safe  here,  but  in  the  care  of —  Mademoiselle, 
I  pray  you  to  ask  Lane  to  convey  it  to  Here  van 
Bursum." 

Tom's  face  dropped  ludicrously  at  this  sug- 
gestion. 

"To  be  sure  't  is  ever  my  first  wish  to  serve 
Judith,  but  the  rest  of  you  have  seen  Nan  while 
•I  have  not,"  he  said  disconsolately.  "Can  you 
not  act  as  messenger  yourself,  De  Heem?" 

Carolus  started.     "My  shoulder — ,"  he  began. 

"Good  lack,  it  has  n't  hurt  your  legs,  man !" 
Tom's  tone  was  petulant.  "The  air  will  do  you 

332 


"That  way,  too,  it  might  be  arranged" 


A  MARRIAGE  IS  ARRANGED 

good.  I  'm  off  to  see  the  little  lady."  Without 
more  ado  he  whipped  out  by  the  back  and  was 
gone. 

"His  love  of  adventure  is  strong,"  Carolus 
said,  looking  at  Judith  half  apologetically. 

Judith  smiled  quizzically. 

"And  now  about  the  picture?"  she  asked,  to 
see  what  his  answer  would  be.  'Will  you  carry 
it?" 

"No !"  Carolus  spoke  positively.  "While  there 
is  a  doubt  who  hath  the  tulip,  I  consider  myself 
even  suspect;  but  this  I  think  is  safe  enough 
in  broad  daylight.  Do  you  carry  it,  and  I  will 
walk  behind  and  guard  you." 

"Think  you,"  Judith  asked  gravely,  "that  it 
would  be  less  safe  an  you  walked  by  my  side?" 

"Nay,"  Carolus  returned,  after  an  instant's 
study  of  her  face,  "that  way  too  might  it  be  ar- 
ranged." 

On  their  return  from  this  walk,  which  they 
had  taken  at  a  slow  pace  because  Carolus's 
weakness  proved  greater  than  he  would  confess, 
they  entered  the  voorhuis  to  find  a  party  assembled 
around  the  devastated  tea-table. 

"Here  then  are  the  bride  and  groom!"  Here 
333 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

de  Heem  announced  formally  the  instant  they 
entered. 

Taken  aback,  the  two  said  nothing;  and  in 
that  moment's  space  Mistress  Roman  ran  for- 
ward and  threw  herself  on  Judith's  neck. 

"How  can  I  be  grateful  enough  to  you  for  your 
interest  in  Nan,"  she  sobbed  hysterically. 
"Think  of  the  home-coming  I  might  have  had! 
But  you  are  wise  to  marry,  my  dear.  Every 
woman  needs  a  protector." 

"I  am  not  going  to  wed!"  Judith  declared 
loudly,  putting  her  aside.  "And  if  I  were  I 
would  call  upon  no  one  unknown  to  me,  but  on 
the  Dominie  Selyns,  minister  of  our  own  Dutch 
church."  She  looked  with  considerable  suspicion 
at  the  stranger  in  clerical  garb,  who  stood  rub- 
bing his  hands  together  and  trying  to  appear  as 
if  there  was  nothing  unusual  in  this  opposition 
on  the  part  of  the  bride. 

"The  Reverend  Selyns  went  a-visiting  to  Rens- 
selaerswick  some  days  ago.  When  he  will  re- 
turn seems  to  be  in  doubt.  Meanwhile  you  must 
see  that,  as  your  aunt  and  I  sail  for  Amsterdam 
on  the  tide,  we  cannot  leave  you  and  Carolus 
behind  to  bill  and  coo  at  your  pleasure." 

334 


A  MARRIAGE  IS  ARRANGED 

Carolus  started  forward  with  clenched  fists. 

"This  is  infamous!"  he  said. 

"Do  not  say  anything  you  will  regret,"  De 
Heem  warned  him.  "You  gave  your  word  of 
honor." 

"Aye,  fool  that  I  was ;  but  I  did  n't  think  to 
find  things  as  they  are." 

"None  the  less  are  you  bound,  as  is  Judith  by 
her  father's  promise,"  De  Heem  reminded  the  girl. 
"I  have  allowed  her  ample  time  to  take  up  his 
obligations,  but  she  cannot." 

"Did  you  steal  the  tulip  to  make  that  impos- 
sible?" Judith  flashed  at  him. 

"Now  that  is  greater  subtlety  than  I  had  sup- 
posed you  endowed  with,  my  young  lady,"  De 
Heem  said,  grinning  evilly.  "Truth  to  tell,  when 
I  watched  you  slip  out,  destroy  your  tulips,  which 
you  as  well  as  I  knew  to  be  worthless,  and  throw 
the  fragments  over  the  wall,  I  credited  you 
with  no  more  than  a  romantic  taste  in  wish- 
ing your  surrender  to  Carolus  to  seem 
forced." 

"Now  there  you  lie !"  Carolus  cried  hotly. 

"That  is  not  filial,  my  son,"*  the  minister  inter- 
posed. "Honor  thy  father — " 

335 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"But  how  can  it  be  true?"  Tom  Lane  inter- 
rupted him,  "for  well  you  know  that  Judith  is 
promised  to  me." 


336 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

IN  WHICH  SALVADOR  DACOSTA  HAS  THE  LAST 
WORD 

THROUGH  the  confusion  of  her  thoughts 
Judith  became  aware  of  something  of  an 
uproar.  De  Heem  was  pounding  the  table  and 
declaring  Tom  a  presumptuous  young  fool.  Car- 
olus  was  pointing  out  to  De  Heem  that  he  could 
not  hold  him  to  a  bargain  to  marry  a  maiden 
already  betrothed  to  another;  for,  among  the 
Dutch,  a  betrothal  was  wellnigh  as  binding  as 
a  marriage. 

But  De  Heem  shouted  them  all  down. 

"  'T  is  for  her  to  say  if  she  upholds  this  up- 
start's claim.  If  so,  her  aunt  and  I  will  have 
them  married  out  of  hand  and  will  find  out  what 
he  has  that  will  help  pay  our  losses  in  the  Great 
Mogul." 

But  at  the  words  Great  Mogul  Robin  entered 
the  room  as  if  propelled  by  a  catapult. 

337 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"Ods-blood!"  he  sputtered.  "What  talk  is 
this  of  losses  in  the  Great  Mogul?  "Metje  was  for 
having  me  hold  my  tongue  before  the  gentry, 
though  I  was  fair  puzzled  at  sight  of  the  model 
of  the  old  ship;  but  this  is  too  much.  Missy, 
what  have  you  to  do  with  the  Great  Mogul  f  I 
pray  you  give  me  a  straight  answer,  for  my  thick 
head  is  like  to  split  with  what  is  hard  enough  to 
understand  already." 

"Boatswain  Rob  Marrow,"  sneered  De  Heem, 
aand  still  at  large !  This  man  is  an  outlaw,  and 
we  can  waste  no  time  on  him.  By  the  order  of 
her  dead  father,  (and,  take  note,  this  maid  not 
being  of  legal  age  should  be  bound  by  his  word,) 
I  command  that  this  marriage  go  forward  at 
once." 

"My  father  was  owner  of  the  Great  Mogul, 
Robin,"  Judith  told  him,  ignoring  De  Heem. 
"She  carried  some  cargo  for  the  De  Heems,  and 
my  father  put  into  the  venture  so  much  of  his 
fortune  that  he  had  not  the  money  to  pay  back 
in  full  when  the  vessel  was  lost  and  enjoined  me 
to  this  marriage  unless,  mark  this  well,  all  of 
you,  I  cleared  his  credit  by  other  means.  The 
tulip  promised  what  I  lacked,  but  it  is  gone." 

338 


SALVADOR  DACOSTA 

"No  matter,"  Robin  snorted.  "No  matter  at 
all.  One  of  my  roaming  fits  on  me,  I  found  my- 
self in  the  Lowlands,  where  the  word  was  passed 
about  that  men  were  sought  for  a  rich  venture. 
This  tempted  me  the  more  that  they  said  there 
was  no  bloodshed  nor  aught  illegal  in  it.  So  we 
sailed  with  certainty,  Here  de  Heem  being  aboard 
directing  the  master,  to  intercept  the  Great  Mogul, 
which  he  claimed  was  his  and  that  he  had  learned 
of  a  plan  to  cast  her  away  and  later  to  salvage  her 
cargo,  thus  robbing  him  without  risk — a  plan  we 
were  to  forestall.  It  was  a  strange  course  we 
laid  and  the  sailors  chuckled  to  think  of  his  dis- 
appointment, for  we  were  quite  out  of  the  way 
of  merchantships ;  but  'twas  we  who  'were 
astonied,  for  we  met  the  Mogul  as  by  magic  and, 
still  under  his  orders,  marooned  certain  of  her 
officers  and  men  and  took  her  to  a  safe  harbor. 
Here  I  had  my  first  suspicions  that  all  was  not 
right,  for  he  changed  her  rig,  gave  her  new 
papers,  and  sailed  her  into  the  Scheldt  to  Antwerp 
in  broad  daylight  accredited  to  Here  de  Heem  as 
the  Patron  Saint  of  Venice,  cargo  carrier  for 
his  house." 

"At  last,"  cried  Carolus.     "At  last  I  see  why 

339 


you  were  so  eager  for  this  marriage.  You 
thought,  an  it  chanced  that  any  of  the  marooned 
men  came  back,  were  Judith  my  wife  she  would 
be  constrained  to  keep  your  secret." 

'T  is  a  fine  picture.  The  faithful  henchman 
sacrificing  himself  to  save  his  mistress  her  for- 
tune ;  for  of  course  you  realize  that,  in  attempting 
to  blacken  me,  this  man  hath  blacked  himself  as 
well.  Moreover,  the  word  of  an  outlaw,  quite 
unsupported  as  this  is,  can  convince  no  one  and 
is  of  no  legal  value  against  the  word  of  a  man  of 
my  repute.  There  is  naught  here,  to  my  mind, 
to  delay  this  ceremony." 

"No    outlaw    am    I,"    said    Robin    steadily. 

'T  was  not  till  you  changed  the  Mogul's  name 
that  ever  we  doubted  your  story,  for  witness  to 
truth  of  which  I  have  two  men,  Ben  Quince  and 
Will  Anderson,  both  in  government  employ." 

"There  is,  too,  your  humble  servant."  The 
little  figure  of  Dacosta  came  into  the  room  apolo- 
getically. Yet  small  as  it  was  and  shabby  almost 
to  raggedness,  at  its  advent  De  Heem  lost  his  con- 
fident bearing.  It  was  as  if  a  light  within  him 
had  gone  out.  So  far  there  had  been  nothing 

340 


SALVADOR  DACOSTA 

opposed  to  him  that  he  had  not  thought  to  break 
down  by  sheer  unscrupulous  determination;  but 
here  was  steel  of  a  temper  rarely  met  with,  and 
he  acknowledged  his  superior. 

"I  told  you,  Claes,  that  some  time  you  would 
try  me  too  far.  This  is  that  time.  Moreover 
you  lied  to  me.  I  do  not  permit  that  my  servants 
lie  to  me.  Since  I  do  not  deal  in  stolen  goods, 
when  I  learned  the  Patron  Saint  was  not  the 
Patron  Saint,  I  came  to  take  a  hand  in  your  game. 
So  I  am  here  and  so  you  have  not  won.  Not 
one  least  little  venture,  Claes  de  Heem.  I  have 
your  tulip  safe,  my  child,"  he  nodded  in  friendly- 
wise  to  Judith.  "I  was  in  Boston-town  when 
your  first  message  came,  but  I  had  left  you  in 
sure  hands  and  you  will  not  need  to  sell  the  flowers 
now  unless  you  wish.  They  are  indeed  wonderful 
blooms.  In  all  my  collection  I  have  nothing  to 
rival  them." 

"I  might  have  known,"  Judith  murmured. 

"That  I  would  not  desert  you?  Yes,  you 
might  have  known,  yet  I  do  not  blame  you  for 
your  doubt." 

"Who  is  this  man  ?"  Carolus  asked  in  a  strained 
341 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

voice,  for,  much  as  he  disliked  and  distrusted  De 
Heem,  he  was  still  his  son  and  felt  his  honor 
shaken  by  his  downfall. 

"I  am  Dacosta,  Salvador  Dacosta,"  the  Jew 
murmured.  "A  friend  of  yours,  young  man." 

"No,"  said  Carolus,  "no.  I  cannot  yet  reason 
out  where  all  this  perfidy  has  landed  us,  yet  I  am 
sure  that  my  father  has  possessions  in  Patria  that 
will  enable  him  to  make  up  the  Juffrouw  Van 
Taarl's  losses.  If  he  will  do  this,  I  will  call  no 
man  friend  who  is  not  a  friend  to  him." 

"I  like  your  spirit,  but  when  an  old  tree  hath 
grown  crooked  all  its  years  you  cannot  hope  to 
straighten  it.  I  know,  because  I  tried.  My 
young  sister,  very  beautiful  to  me,  was  his  first 
wife.  He  stole  her  from  me  with  false  words; 
and  for  seven  days  I  sat  on  the  stool  of  mourning 
in  our  synagogue,  with  ashes  on  my  head  and  on 
my  breast.  I  mourned  her  as  dead,  and  yet  she 
was  not  dead.  I  could  not  make  my  heart  be- 
lieve it,  and  so  I  rose  and  followed  her.  I  thank 
the  God  of  Israel  that  she  died  childless,  leaving 
none  to  be  shamed  by  him.1' 

"Then  did  my  father  marry  yet  again?"  asked 
Carolus. 

342 


SALVADOR  DACOSTA 

"No,"  said  Dacosta;  "you  see,  he  is  not  your 
father." 

"Then  am  I  not  his  moeder,"  Vrouw  de  Heem 
began  to  sob. 

"Yes,  yes,  you  are.  You  always  will  be." 
Carolus  patted  her  shoulder  and  gave  her  his 
hand  to  fondle;  but  his  eyes  sought  Dacosta's 
with  a  dumb  questioning  that  was  painful  to  see. 

"Before  he  stole  her  from  me  and  lured  her 
into  a  marriage — not  for  love  of  her  sweet  in- 
nocence, but  because  she  was  the  rich  Jew's  joy — 
this  little  sister  of  mine  had  taken  to  her  heart 
the  child  of  two  French  Huguenots.  They  fled 
from  persecution  in  France  to  meet  death  by 
plague  near  Antwerp.  They  trusted  us  with 
their  child,  Jews  though  we  were;  but,  when  my 
Miriam  died,  De  Heem  swore  he  loved  you.  The 
hand  of  a  little  child  can  sometimes  soften  a  hard 
heart,  and  who  was  I  to  judge  him  ?  For  a  time 
she  had  loved  him.  She  must  have  seen  good  in 
him.  Then,  too,  it  seemed  right  that  a  Christian 
child  should  be  reared  by  Christians,  so  I  left  you 
to  him,  knowing  full  well  that  your  own  patri- 
mony was  amply  sufficient  for  your  needs.  It 
wrung  my  heart,  but  I  gave  you  up  to  him."  Da- 

343 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

costa  held  out  a  trembling  hand  to  Carolus,  who 
grasped  it.  "Tell  me  I  did  well,"  he  begged. 
"I  have  watched  you  lovingly  from  afar.  It 
seemed  to  me  my  sister's  foster-child  did  her 
honor." 

"He  is  the  best  son,  the  handsomest,  the  brav- 
est. Never  has  he  given  me  a  moment's  pain," 
wept  Vrouw  de  Heem,  and  Salvador  Dacosta 
smiled. 

"That  is  as  I  thought,"  he  said  simply.  Then 
he  turned  to  De  Heem  and  issued  cold  commands. 
"To-morrow,  at  the  City  Tavern,  you  and  your 
adopted  son  will  meet  me  and  we  shall  set  straight 
your  tangled  affairs.  There  is  enough  for  all 
who  are  not  over-covetous.  I  will  have  the  ship 
held  till  this  matter  is  arranged.  After  which, 
naught  will  be  gained  by  your  further  stay." 

To  Judith  he  said : 

"Have  no  anxieties,  my  child.  You  are  free. 
Free  as  the  winds  of  heaven."  He  was  shyly 
edging  toward  the  door  as  he  spoke,  intent  upon 
getting  away  now  that  his  business  was  done;  and 
indeed  all  those  who  were  not  of  the  household 
felt  their  position  awkward  and  were  ready  to 
say  good-by  with  as  little  ceremony  as  possible. 

344 


SALVADOR  DACOSTA 

It  was  Carolus  who  stopped  the  Jew  on  the 
threshold. 

"But  if  I  am  not  Carolus  de  Heem,  who  am 
I  ?"  he  demanded  impetuously. 

"You  are  Charles  Rosny,  of  a  cadet  branch, 
but  distantly  connected  with  the  elder  house." 

"  'T  is  enough  if  I  come  of  honorable  people," 
Carolus  said,  raising  his  head  proudly  and  filling 
his  lungs  with  air. 

There  followed  confused  farewells,  broken  ex- 
pressions of  gratitude  from  Judith,  happy  tears 
as  she  parted  from  Nan  and  her  mother  at  the 
gate;  then,  turning  to  return  to  the  house,  she 
found  Tom  Lane  in  her  path. 

"Come  to  the  summer-house,"  he  said.  "I 
must  have  a  word  with  you." 

As  an  explanation  between  them  seemed  im- 
perative, she  walked  by  his  side  to  the  summer- 
house  where  she  leaned  on  the  rail,  looking  down 
on  the  place  whence  the  tulip  had  been  lifted. 

"I  have  had  so  many  friends,  who  thought  I 
had  so  few,"  she  murmured.  "Nan,  Robin,  and 
Metje,  for  they  have  owned  that  they  too  tried  to 
save  the  tulip;  Salvador  Dacosta  and  you,. 
Tom." 

345 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

"I  am  more  than  a  friend,  who  soon  will  be 
your  husband,"  Tom  averred  stoutly. 

Judith  looked  at  him  and,  smiling,  shook  her 
head. 

"No,  Tom,"  she  said  gently.  "Fine  was  it, 
and  noble,  the  way  you  came  to  my  defense,  but 
in  your  heart  of  hearts  you  do  not  mean  it.  I 
am  Dutch,  so  Dutch  for  all  I  am  dark-colored, 
and  you  are  English,  Tom.  Your  family  would 
not  wish  you  to  marry  with  a  simple  Dutch  girl. 
Your  pretty  dashing  sister  would  have  little  liking 
for  my  provincial  ways  and  manners.  I  would 
not  be  happy  nor  would  they.  iDutch  should 
marry  Dutch;  English,  English." 

Tom  considered  this  for  a  moment. 

"But  how  if  I  love  you  ?"  he  asked.  "Whether 
it  is  wrote  in  Dutch  or  English,  there  's  the  fact 
of  it." 

"No  fact  but  fancy,"  Judith  declared  posi- 
tively. "You  know  not  what  love  is,  Tom." 

"And  how  of  a  sudden  are  you  so  wise?"  the 
lad  asked  jealously.  "For,  mark  you,  if  you  '11 
none  of  me,  't  is  as  bad  for  you  to  wed  Carolus 
who's  a  Frenchman." 

"And  is  that  a  match  Carolus  seemed  inclined 
346 


SALVADOR  DACOSTA 

to?"  Judith  scoffed,  making  ready  to  go  into  the 
house. 

"I  'd  feel  easier  if  you  promised  me  not  to  wed 
him,"  Tom  said,  though  to  his  surprise  he  found 
himself  scarce  so  miserable  as  he  had  imagined 
a  rejected  suitor  to  be. 

"  'T  is  safe  enough  to  promise  I  '11  not  wed  him 
against  both  our  wills,  for  't  is  plain  there  will 
not  again  be  such  a  necessity,"  Judith  returned 
lightly. 

"And  that 's  no  promise  at  all,"  Tom  declared 
half  -angrily. 

"It  was  the  very  circumstance  you  helped  to 
save  me  from  to-day,"  Judith  reminded  him. 
Then  she  held  out  her  hand.  "I  must  go  in. 
They  will  wonder  where  I  am.  And  poor  Moeye 
Beletje  will  surely  need  comfort,  after  seeing  her 
world  in  pieces  before  her  eyes." 

"Think  you  she  will  return  to  Europe  with  her 
husband?" 

"I  will  let  her  know  that  she  is  welcome  here. 
What  she  will  elect  to  do  will  depend  upon  his 
will.  I  am  quite  sure  he  can  make  her  think 
him  a  great  man  still  an  he  desires  her  company." 

With  few  more  words  they  parted,  the  rejected 
347 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

suitor  soon  whistling  gaily  in  the  sunlight  and 
thinking  excitedly  of  the  tale  he  would  have  to 
tell  if  honor  ever  loosed  his  tongue. 

Judith  gravely  reentered  the  voorhuis,  intend- 
ing to  look  for  her  aunt.  Instead  she  found  Car- 
olus,  very  white  and  worn,  collapsed  in  a  chair. 

She  was  at  his  side  in  a  moment. 

"Is  there  no  one  in  all  this  house  to  have  a  care 
over  you?"  she  asked  half  crossly.  "Do  they 
expect  you  to  have  strength  after  such  a  blooding? 
Where  is  your  mother?" 

"She  will  not  leave  Here  de  Heem's  side  now. 
She  thinks  that,  with  the  world  turned  against 
him,  he  hath  need  of  her,"  Carolus  said  with  a 
smile.  "There  's  naught  wrong  with  me,  except 
that  I  have  been  stirred  to  my  depths  when  not 
quite  at  my  burliest." 

"Also  you  Ve  had  no  stuk — naught  to  eat  since 
dinner,  for  they  had  all  done  their  tea  ere  we  came 
in,  and  I  '11  warrant  Metje's  head  is  too  full  of 
Robin  to  give  a  thought  to  you.  Stay  where  you 
are.  'T  will  take  but  a  moment  to  brew  it."  In 
response  to  Carolus 's  protest  she  called  over  her 
shoulder  as  she  went  to  the  kitchen,  "indeed  I 
need  some  cheer  myself." 

348 


SALVADOR  DACOSTA 

Returning  shortly  with  tea  and  pouring  Carolus 
a  cupful,  which  she  laced  liberally  with  rum, 
she  seated  herself  beside  him  and  prepared  to 
enjoy  her  own  refreshment. 

"How  are  you  feeling  now?"  she  asked,  eying 
him  anxiously.  "Robin  and  Metje  are  but  phi- 
landering in  the  garden.  Would  it  not  be  well  if 
I  called  him  to  help  you  to  bed?" 

"I  beg  of  you,"  Carolus  put  out  a  protesting 
hand.  "This  fine  tea  that  you  brew  has  made 
a  new  man  of  me.  Another  cup  of  it  and  1 11 
be  dancing  the  coranto" 

Judith  filled  his  cup  and  urged  him  to  eat  a 
little  of  the  bread  and  dried  fruit  that  she  had 
brought;  but,  when  they  had  done,  she  picked  up 
the  tea-board  and  carried  it  back  to  the  kitchen, 
Carolus  watching  her  the  while  with  rather  a 
sad  droop  to  his  mouth. 

When  she  came  back  to  him  he  met  her  with  an 
attempt  at  cheerfulness. 

"Let 's  go  see  the  sunset  from  the  summer- 
house,"  he  suggested.  "This  will  be  my  last  night 
under  your  roof  and  I  should  like  to  remember 
that  we  parted  in  amity." 

"I  '11  watch  it  with  you  gladly,  although  't  is 
349 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

my  belief  you  are  fit  for  naught  but  bed/1  Judith 
declared. 

None  the  less  she  went  outside  with  him  and 
they  seated  themselves  close  to  the  rail  of  the 
summer-house.  The  spring  days  were  long  and 
there  was  no  thought  of  sunset  in  the  light.  So, 
robbed  of  that  subject  of  conversation,  they  sat 
silent  until  Judith  bethought  her  of  the  seal. 

"How  came  your  father  to  use  Dacosta's  seal?" 

"I  asked  him  that/'  Carolus  explained.  "He 
was  hunting  for  the  picture  and  came  across  it 
by  chance.  It  seems  he  did  not  know  it  for  Da- 
costa's, but,  finding  it  treasured,  it  occurred  to 
him  that  it  must  be  the  seal  of  a  friend  and  that 
there  was  likelihood  that  you  would  give  con- 
sideration to  a  letter  closed  with  it." 

"And  he  was  right!  He  is  a  subtle  man." 
Her  further  words  were  stilled,  for  Carolus 
touched  her  gently  with  his  finger. 

"Are  those  your  tulips  come  to  life,"  he  asked 
under  his  breath.  Below  them,  darting  among 
the  flowers  and  in  and  out  between  the  twigs  of 
the  shrubs,  were  half  a  score  of  little  birds,  the 
black,  orange-red,  and  cream  of  their  plumage 
making  them  seem  indeed  like  flying  flowers. 

350 


SALVADOR  DACOSTA 

"Oh !"  exclaimed  Judith  breathlessly.  "  'T  is 
the  red-starts.  I  feared  that  I  had  missed  them 
this  year.  Are  they  not  wonderful?  And  so 
fearless  that  they  will  not  leave  us  if  we  talk. 
Indeed  you  are  right  that  they  are  like  my  tulips/' 

"Even  as  it  is  like  you/'  Carolus  said.  "It 
is  vivid  and  arresting,  with  something  I  never 
quite  grasp  as  a  part  of  its  charm." 

"Oh,  that 's  the  Dutch  in  me.  Being*  a  French- 
man as  I  accused  you  of  being  long  ago,  'tis 
natural  that  you  do  not  understand  the  Dutch/' 
Judith  said  lightly. 

"What  will  you  do  with  the  tulips.  There  will 
be  no  need  to  sell  them  now  unless  such  is  your 
wish/'  Carolus  said,  passing  her  remark  by. 

"That  is  what  I  've  told  myself,"  Judith  re- 
sponded. "It  is  hard  to  come  to  a  realization  of 
circumstances  that  have  changed  so  quickly,  but 
one  I  think  I  should  like  to  keep  here.  The  other 
I  will  ask  Salvador  Dacosta  to  accept,  as  a  re- 
minder of  my  gratitude." 

"That  would  be  gracious  of  you,  for  without 
him  we  should  have  failed,"  Carolus  acknowl- 
edged, with  a  trace  of  bitterness.  "I  could  not 
lay  my  finger  on  the  weak  point  in  De  Heem's 

351 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

armor;  and  yet  I  told  you  he  had  some  crafty 
reason  for  furthering  our  marriage.  Now  you 
are  free  of  that  and  can  marry  Lane." 

"  'T  is  possible,  no  doubt,"  Judith  agreed 
gravely.  "But,  on  the  other  hand,  why  should  I  ? 
For  all  he  knows  it  not,  't  is  Nan  Homan  hath  his 
heart.  Nay,  trouble  not  to  deny  it;  that  little 
maid,  despite  her  tender  years,  has  beauty  and 
wit.  Tom,  albeit  he  counts  himself  grown,  is 
still  as  much  a  child  as  she.  In  fact,  I  hold  him 
the  younger,  for  Nan  hath  her  deeper  feelings 
which  Tom  as  yet  lacks.  I  am  no  seer  to  proph- 
esy the  future,  but  visit  us  again  in  five  years 
and  see  what  you  will  see." 

"Thank  you,  but  when  I  go  I  shall  not  return. 
I  Ve  no  desire  to  greet  you  as  the  Mevrouw 
Jaspyn  either." 

"Now  that 's  that  minx  Marya.  Indeed  I  am 
not  promised  to  her  brother,  nor  ever  was  nor 
ever  will  be.  But  that  mindeth  me.  An  you  go 
to-morrow  with  your — with  the  De  Heems,  who 
will  escort  your  lady  to  the  strawberry  festival  ?" 

"Now  that  is  a  delicate  question  and  one  that 
had  quite  slipped  my  memory.  Yet,  if  you  will 
think  over  our  conversation,  you  will  discover 

352 


SALVADOR  DACOSTA 

that  I  had  not  said  I  purposed  leaving  the  country 
to-morrow.  I  only  said  it  was  my  last  night 
under  your  roof." 

"You  mean  to  stay  on  Marya's  account?" 

Carolus  did  not  answer,  and  Judith  took  this 
silence  for  consent  and  leaped  to  her  feet,  eager 
to  be  off  lest  he  should  read  her  face. 

"I  '11  run  to  the  Jaspyns  and  ask  her  to  come 
over,"  she  said. 

"There  's  no  such  hot  haste,"  Carolus  replied. 
"You  promised  that  we  should  see  this  sun  set 
together.  'T  is  the  last  chance  in  both  our  lives, 
belike." 

"Why  so?"  Judith  asked  startled.  "I  hope  we 
may  be  friends  when  all  this  is  past." 

"Judith,"  Carolus  interrupted  angrily,  "there 
is  one  gift  I  will  not  take  at  your  hands  and  that 
is  your  friendship.  How  dare  you  offer  it  to  me? 
From  the  first  night  I  set  eyes  upon  you  and  read 
dislike  and  distrust  in  your  face,  I  knew  that 
there  was  no  friendship  possible  between  us,  and 
so  did  you;  so  why  proffer  me  a  hollow  sham?" 

"Indeed,"  began  Judith  at  a  loss  for  words. 
"Indeed—" 

"What  is  my  name?"  Carolus  asked  in  a  gentler 

353 


THE  FLOWER  OF  FORTUNE 

tone.  "For  all  reward  for  all  I  tried  to  do  but 
failed  in,  I  ask  you  to  call  me  by  it.  I  have  a 
fancy  to  hear  it  for  the  first  time  in  my  memory 
from  your  lips." 

"Indeed,  Charles/'  Judith  spoke  with  unwonted 
meekness,  "I  meant  not  to  affront  you.  What 
is  it  you  would  have  me  say?" 

"Can  you  not  guess?"  Carolus  took  her  hand. 
"Did  you  not  know  that  I  had  to  fight  two 
enemies,  myself  as  well  as  De  Heem?  I  loved 
you  so  that  it  seemed  to  me,  once  wed,  you  must 
look  kindly  on  me.  There  at  least  I  played  the 
man,  and,  had  it  come  to  the  worst,  I  think  I 
should  have  broken  my  word  rather  than  force 
you.  I  love  you.  Now  you  know  it,  and  though 
the  sun  is  not  set  I  give  you  back  your  promise. 
You  are  free  to  go." 

He  dropped  his  head  in  his  hands,  listening 
for  her  departing  footsteps. 

Instead  he  heard  her  voice  from  very  near. 

"But  Charles,"  she  whispered,  "why  did  you 
let  me  hate  you  so  long?" 


354 


